Be Afraid of President McCain.

• Author: Ryan, Matt
• Position: Letters - John McCain - Letter to the editor - Brief article

Having known John McCain since he was a plebe at the Naval Academy, I was surprised to read about his "binge drinking" there in "Be Afraid of President McCain" (April), since it was against the rules then to drink within seven and a half miles of the Chapel Dome. Given the emotional stress of his time as a POW, I believe it was not family ties that prompted orders to the Navy War College for a year but a compassionate detailer, who was giving him an opportunity to decompress.

Matt Ryan

Bremerton, WA

Matt Welch replies: If Matt Ryan is surprised by my article, then he'll be doubly surprised by McCain's own books. From page 128 of Faith of My Fathers: "Nothing serious ever occurred in our nightly revels outside the Yard. Mainly we drank...