by Lance Thompson

The BBC reported on 23 June that Tran Trong Duyet, the former commander of the North Vietnamese Hoa Lo military prison where John McCain spent five and a half years, now considers John McCain a friend and "would vote for him." Mr. Duyet disputes McCain’s account of his captivity, denying that prisoners were beaten, tortured or mistreated. Evidently, Mr. Duyet does not regard the prison’s nickname, "the Hanoi Hilton," as the least bit ironic.

Still, the endorsement of an old enemy is nothing new in politics. After one of the most bruising primary battles in recent presidential history, Hillary Clinton calls Barack Obama a friend, and tells of how proud she was to have competed against him for the nomination. She will work hard, she promises, to reunite the party and see Obama elected. Surely this is no greater turnaround than that of a former North Vietnamese officer endorsing a former American prisoner.

One could ascribe Mr. Duyet’s last-minute endorsement to selective memory or the propensity to idealize the events of one’s past. But we must also consider a more sinister motive, one that eventually tempts all who come in contact with a presidential contender–personal advancement.

It is no secret that McCain and Obama are compiling lists of potential cabinet officers and political appointees. Mr. Duyet, currently retired and keeping fit as an amateur ballroom dancer, must be thinking about a third act in his life–surely he still harbors goals and aspirations. With his military background, he could be angling for Secretary of Defense. As a former officer in a former Soviet client state, he would have knowledge of Communist tactics and technology–both of which are bound to be hot topics with a resurgent Russia and a restive Communist China on the new President’s agenda.

Likewise, the hot seat of the attorney general might be a target. Mr. Duyet’s familiarity with incarceration and--at least according to John McCain--interrogation would put him at the forefront of the controversial Supreme Court ruling on Guantanamo Bay detainees. If the liberals on the Big Bench insist on giving terrorist prisoners every possible break, then we should have an attorney general equally insistent on the same. The breaks he gave to his prisoners were more physical in nature than legal, but Mr. Duyet would certainly be a worthwhile advocate against a judiciary that seems at least sympathetic to this country’s enemies.

But Mr. Duyet seems eminently suited for one particular position that would give him a forum to demonstrate his new-found friendship for John McCain and catapult him back into the public eye. The unimaginably challenging job of White House spokesman cries out for a man of Mr. Duyet’s credibility and conviction. This position requires a person who does not mind that his every statement is disbelieved, his every utterance is questioned, his every smile or facial tic assumed to be rehearsed. Mr. Duyet obviously has no trouble at all expressing the most preposterous and laughable ideas with an absolute faith that they will find acceptance from a gullible public.

One further qualification that Mr. Duyet offers. With the recent treasonous tome by former White House spokesman Scott McClellan fresh in the public mind, Mr. Duyet at least acknowledges that once, long ago, he and John McCain were on opposite sides. Compared to Scott McClellan’s professions of friendship toward the President that lasted right up until the first review copies of his book came out, Mr. Duyet’s service would be a model of frank and forthright square dealing.