John McCain Endorsed By Vietnamese Jail Warden

The Vietnamese warden that oversaw the prison Republican, John McCain, was held in, has endorsed him for president and called him a friend. Am I missing something here. Are you sure he didn't say "John McClane" from the movie Die Hard and not John McCain? (LOL).

Seriously, warden Tran Trong Duyet has endorsed McCain for president. He is also saying McCain was not tortured or treated badly while in jail.  

John McCain endorsed by his Vietnamese jailer

John McCain has won an unusual endorsement for his presidential campaign - from the man who was his jailer in wartime Vietnam.

John McCain was shot down and badly wounded while bombing a Hanoi power station on his 23rd mission over North Vietnam in 1967. He was a prisoner for over five years.

Because Mr McCain's father was commander of all American forces in the Pacific theatre, the Vietnamese called him "the prince".

Tran Trong Duyet, the commandant of Hao Lo prison in Hanoi from 1968-73, recalls Mr McCain "as a typical child of a traditional military family. He was conservative and faithful to his country's policy of the Vietnam war".

"In a talk between men we shared many things about girls and love and so on," said Mr Duyet, who claims Mr McCain helped teach him English.

"I think John McCain is a very smart man."...

Mr Duyut, still a dedicated Communist Party member, says he is upset by the accounts of torture in Vietnam given by Mr McCain and his fellow prisoners.

"It never happened," he said. "If the soldiers did not follow my orders about the 1949 Geneva Convention they would be strictly punished."

"But I also sympathise with him why he has to say this. I guess he says so to get support of people who support the war."

"I can say that Vietnamese are the best people all over the world for treating prisoners," Mr Duyet claimed.

He laughed at the sarcastic nickname "Hanoi Hilton", given to the prison by its American inmates, and said that conditions inside were better than for the civilian population beyond its walls.

What remains of the prison is now a museum, where Mr McCain's old flight suit is on display. There is also a monument to his capture on the bank of the Hanoi lake where he crash landed.

But like many Vietnamese, Mr Duyet is grateful to Mr McCain for the role he played in the 1990s - restoring trading and political relations between the countries.

"I would like to say that if John McCain is elected president I hope he will further improve the relationship between Vietnam and the United States," said Mr Duyet.

"And as a friend I want to wish him good health and good luck in the presidential election," he added.

Then he blurted out "My friend!" in English, the language he says Mr McCain helped teach him, which he has almost totally forgotten.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk