I don’t think there’s any reasonable person who faults McCain and the other POWs, whether they broke or not. They were in a situation where they had to find ways to survive, and any intelligence value they had (was probably never much) expired a few months after their captivity. Their main value was for propaganda, and few if any back in the US believed any of their statements were genuine.
But I don’t think that experience makes anyone more qualified to be president. The overall military experience does, but a POW experience could have left as many damaging psychological scars as it left increased strength in the individual.
I also don’t think the Dems. will be able to damage McCain by picking over his time as a POW. Most all Americans will put that in its proper context and it won’t affect their vote one way or another. That POW experience is a fact, and will help him with some voters, but I don’t think any but already extreme leftists would view it as a negative no matter what sort of dirty tricks the Dems. might try to play with it.
They’re doing it right now. They whine and cry about the so-called smears regarding BO and his wife. They’ve even set up a site trying to debunk the information coming out. But they continue to lie about McCain and his 5 years in captivity. Rather than discuss issues they prefer to use slander and smear tactics.