The Obama campaign will likely not touch that quote, and that'd be the smart move. Outside of the canned line about McCain being a hero and respecting his service, I would be shocked if they said anything about his service in the military, imprisonment and torture unless they are:
- Pointing out the perceived hypocrisy of not condemning torture by the United States when he himself was tortured mercilessly as a POW.
- Refuting McCain's BS assertion that military service is a prerequisite for being able to speak with authority about foreign policy or the failures of the current president's foreign policy.
I just don't see any way that talking about McCain's quote could be a winner for Obama. And putting aside my support for Obama, this is not the kind of thing I want the candidates to be talking about. There are times when "spin" is pure BS, and there are rare occasions where it is perhaps closer to the truth than what was originally said. I think that's the case for both quotes. I know what each of them meant to say - though they may have said it in a clumsy way - and I don't fault them for the sentiment they are trying to convey.