Ex-POWs say McCain experience clear

ST. PAUL, Minn. | There are 24 of them here, the men who went through hell with John McCain in Vietnamese prison camps four decades ago.

A few are politicking and organizing, but most are here simply to support the man they say represents a choice for America between honor and image.

“There is a waning sense of honor and duty … and that is troubling. And this election may be all about that very thing,” said Orson Swindle, who was a cellmate with Mr. McCain for two years in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison camp.

“Do we want to have an ‘American Idol’ election, or do we want to elect a man who is capable of doing great things and solving big problems?” said Mr. Swindle, one of several speakers who will formally nominate Mr. McCain for president Wednesday.

Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, is viewed by Mr. McCain’s “band of brothers” with a mixture of paternal condescension and disbelief that the younger man has drawn massive popular support.

“In my mind, there’s no choice. [Mr. McCain is] so well-qualified, better than the opposition,” said Dave Wheat, 68, of Duluth, Minn., who was shot down in October 1965 and imprisoned by the Viet Cong for more than seven years.

“Barack Obama repeatedly scares the hell out of me because of his naivete,” Mr. Swindle said. “He has no qualifications for the job other than that he’s a hell of a nice guy.”

Mr. McCain, a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War, was imprisoned in camps for almost six years after being shot down in his fighter plane on Oct. 26, 1967.

He has not faced the military opposition that helped sink the 2004 presidential campaign of Democrat John Kerry, a fellow Vietnam veteran.

Fellow former prisoners of war said Mr. McCain’s experience of torture and captivity stands as an undeniable testament to his character, toughness and patriotism that Mr. Obama cannot touch.

“John McCain went through a crucible of adversity, and he was there being tested. He came out of it a stronger person, a more focused person, a person who conducted himself with incredible honor,” said Mr. Swindle, 71, who served as assistant secretary of commerce under President Reagan.

“If we’ve got a choice between a person who’s had that, as opposed to someone who’s organized neighborhoods, give me a break. What’s the issue here?”

The Obama campaign continued Tuesday to rebut criticism of their candidate’s experience by redirecting attention to the Bush administration, arguing that Mr. McCain represents no clear difference from the current president.

“We honor and respect Senator McCain’s tremendous and heroic service to the country,” said Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan. “What we disagree on is John McCain’s plan to continue for another four years the same Bush polices that have failed American families for the last eight.”

In his nomination acceptance speech last week in Denver, Mr. Obama indirectly raised the issue of whether Mr. McCain’s years in captivity have made him too emotionally volatile. “If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament and judgment to serve as the next commander in chief, that’s a debate I’m ready to have,” Mr. Obama said.

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