Opinion
Modine: McCain was a bad P.O.W.!
By: Jeff Dufour
Editor at Large/Columnist, "Yeas & Nays"
08/28/08 3:22 PM EDT
Mod SquadWe ran into actor Matthew Modine (remember "Full Metal Jacket"?!?) at Denver's La Rumba restaurant and, while the Obama supporter had plenty to say about John McCain's policies, he also had plenty of critiques of McCain's military service -- a topic that almost no one dares denounce.
"I mean, he got shot down three times!" said Modine, taking on one of McCain's most lauded personal accomplishments. "That's not success!" While on a bombing mission over North Vietnam, McCain was shot down and held as a prisoner of war. When McCain's father was named commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, the future Arizona senator was offered an early release, but rejected it because his captors would not also released his fellow American P.O.W.s.
That kind of loyalty has earned McCain endless accolades, but Modine thinks that McCain's rejection of the release offer is yet another example of McCain's shortcomings. "And he wasn't even a good prisoner of war," said Modine. "He should have left as soon as he could. That's what you're supposed to do as a prisoner of war: Leave when you can. It defeats the enemy. It makes them look bad and it weakens them."
