Jun 7, 2016 2 min read

I can forgive the likes of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Marco Rubio and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan for endorsing Donald Trump after His Orangeness alternately insulted and belittled each of them. After all, they are all political opportunists.

Haley figuratively genuflected before Trump after saying his hate rhetoric can lead to future church shootings, like the one at a black church in Charleston, S.C., last year. Rubio was mocked by Trump as a “lightweight” and “Little Marco,” yet Rubio said he was sorry for saying Trump has small hands. Ryan, meanwhile, is no more than an Eddie Munster lookalike whose career supersedes the fate of America’s struggling middle class.

However, as a veteran, I cannot forgive Sen. John McCain, whose six years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam was disgracefully dissed by the Donald when he brayed he has no respect for soldiers who are captured.

Yes, I know McCain bit the bullet when supporting his party’s reluctant nominee for president.

He still could have, and should have, voiced his preference for a third-party candidate, an independent, anyone else but the snake-oil salesman who degraded the ultimate sacrifice of thousands of veterans with one unpatriotic utterance from his forked tongue.

If only for her unending source of comedic material, I forgave the senior Arizona senator for unleashing Sarah Palin upon us. For my fellow veterans disparaged by a draft-dodger whose only military experience was at an academy and watching “Gomer Pyle,” my respect for McCain begins and ends at his courageous military service. He stood up to the Viet Cong and Agent Orange. Too bad he couldn’t say the same for the biggest orange menace of all.

Vin Morabito

Scranton