Ridiculing the McCain campaign for their performance this week is a bit akin to getting at a pinata, except with a big club and no blindfold.  The McCain  campaign is the political equivalent of low-hanging fruit.

That said, one  thing that I have never criticized John McCain for is the use of his  former POW status to promote his campaign.   It's gripping, unusual stuff that works as a narrative bridge for Sen. McCain.  As far as I'm concerned, Sen. McCain has every right to exploit his former POW status for political gain.  Frankly, I wouldn't expect anything else; it's good politics.

However, we are long past the time where the McCain narrative that he is "reluctant" to talk about his experiences should receive any play in the media.  That train left the station a long, long time ago.

In fact, I'd be willing to bet that there isn't a single day on the campaign trail when Sen. McCain does not bring up his former POW status completely unprompted. 

The problem isn't that he repeatedly invokes his experiences unprompted, but rather, that he does it in such a crass politically pandering way.  And then when he gets called on it, he recoils into his cocoon of "reluctance".   For example, when a reporter on the "Straight-Talk Express had the temerity to ask Sen. McCain how his experiences were relevant to his present job pursuits, McCain reacted thusly:

McCain became visibly angry when I asked him to explain how his Vietnam experience prepared him for the Presidency.

"Please," he said, recoiling back in his seat in distaste at the very question.

McCain then collected himself and apologized for his initial reaction.

"I kind of reacted the way I did because I have a reluctance to talk
about my experiences," he said, noting that he has huge admiration for
the "heroes" who served with him in the POW camp and said the
experience taught him to love the U.S. because he missed it so much.

"I am always reluctant to talk about these things," McCain said.

This is McCain using his POW status as a shield; he invokes it whenever he doesn't care to answer a question.  And he does it often.

I mention this because McCain had the flap over recounting his experiences incorrectly in an interview in Pittsburgh this week.  Sen. McCain was simply asked what came to his mind when he thought of Pittsburgh and somehow turned that into a story about being a POW [but he's reluctant to talk about these things].  This is how the encounter was reported:

Asked Wednesday by KDKA-TV's Jon Delano what first comes to mind when he thinks of Pittsburgh, Mr. McCain said, "The Steelers. I was a mediocre high school athlete and I loved and adored sports but the Steelers really made a huge impression on me, particularly in the early years."

Sitting by his wife Cindy, the senator then told a story about his 51/2 years as a POW.

"When I was first interrogated and really had to give some information because of the pressures, the physical pressures that were on me, I named the starting lineup -- defensive line of the Pittsburgh Steelers -- as my squadron mates."

Of course, the story wasn't true.  According to McCain's previous tellings, it was the offensive line of the Green Bay Packers [a story he has recounted on numerous occasions, including in his most recent book and HERE].  It was basically a crass pander to a political swing state audience.  Much like Hillary and sniper fire, Sen. McCain simply changed the story to fit present circumstances.  However, unlike Hillary, McCain seems to think of himself as the last honest man in politics and above politics.

This is McCain using his former POW status as a sword; bringing up his experiences unprompted to fit a campaign narrative that he wishes to push. 

But what makes this story especially maddening is not that McCain brings up the experiences unprompted;  or even that he occasionally fudges the stories to fit present political circumstances [a charitable conclusion, I think].  No, it's that when he's called on it, he attempts to crassly use the same experience as a shield from criticism.

Hence, this inexplicable statement put out by the McCain campaign when called on the lie:

The senator's mixup with the Steelers "was an honest mistake," a campaign spokesman said yesterday. "If bloggers want to make fun of John McCain because he forgot which team he used under torture, that is their right."

WOW!  Where do you even begin with that statement and it's absolute crassness.  So, it's not John McCain's problem because "he forgot" the team he used [which is almost impossible].  Rather, it's the bloggers that "want to make fun" of Sen. McCain, which, I assume means, asking legitimate questions about his retelling and how he could have mixed up the teams.

Notice also, that the statement throws in the phrase "under torture" in an attempt to demonize anyone that deigns to question Sen. McCain's recounting of his experiences. 

Frankly, this use of John McCain's former POW status as both a sword and shield is borderline unconscionable.  And, it's not that different from how President Bush and Karl Rove used patriotism as a bludgeon to keep the press at bay in the run-up to the Iraq War.

At long last, is there ANYONE in the press that will have the guts to call the McCain campaign on their rank political opportunism? 

I certainly hope so; before it's too late.