Today John McCain is delivering the commencement address at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Commencement Ceremony.

An except of interest to race-watchers… with McCain’s youngest son, Jimmy, preparing to be deployed to Iraq, this story resonates a bit more:

“My father, who was honored here at a Regimental Review, was a man with enormous responsibilities, which he never shirked. He was brave, and as loyal to the Navy and his country as any officer who ever held a command. He lived a challenging and dangerous life. He served in three wars, and in his last war, Vietnam, he commanded all U.S. forces in the Pacific, including those who fought in Vietnam. I am his oldest son and namesake, and I fought under his command.
“For several years I was a prisoner of war in the enemy’s capital, Hanoi. When the President of the United States and his advisors decided to try to shorten the war by bombing Hanoi, it was my father’s duty to order it done.
“The planes that flew to Hanoi on his orders were B-52s, the largest bombers in the Air Force. They could carry and deliver the biggest stick of bombs. They flew at very high altitudes, and unlike our Air Force today they did not have the technology to be very accurate in their targeting.
“The pilots knew Americans were held captive very near their targets. So did the man who commanded them, my father. He knew where I was, and he loved me. He prayed on his knees every day for my safe return. Whenever he visited his soldiers in Vietnam, he would end his day by walking to the northern end of the base, and stand quietly alone looking toward the place where his son was held. But his conscience required him to do his duty, and his duty required him to risk his son’s life. So he did.
“That is a very hard decision for a father to make. Very few of us will ever have to face such a difficult choice. Even fewer of us would have the character to make the right decision. I doubt I would. But he did. And the memory of him, and the example he set for me helped to form my own conscience.

In and of itself, it’s not a reason to nominate McCain, but a President McCain would instantly shut up both the “chickenhawk” crap and the “when are your sons and daughters going to enlist” sneer.

Of course, this joke from the speech might remind some Republicans of their disagreement with McCain on immigration and other issues:

As I alluded to earlier, I was not a very impressive midshipman. I wasn’t a very dedicated student, and I was, to say the least, a discipline problem. The problem was I didn’t like discipline.