By bringing up Obama's relationship with the unrepentant communist Ayers, Palin opened the door to vetting McCain on his post-Vietnam War relationship with the late Vo Van Kiet.

Kiet was a Viet Cong terrorist in South Vietnam who rose through the communist ranks to become Vietnam's Prime Minister and McCain's political friend. Kiet served as prime minister from 1991 until 1997.

McCain blocked a May 1992 attempt by former Vietnam POWs Larry Stark, Dan Pitzer, and Jose Anzaldua to have the Bush administration investigate Kiet for ordering the executions of American POWs.

McCain traveled to Vietnam in October 1992 to collaborate with Kiet and other communist leaders on how best to remove the POW/MIA issue as an obstacle to normalized trade and diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States.

While in Vietnam, McCain and Kiet warmly greeted each other reaffirming both their governments' desires for early normalization of relations and accelerated cooperation to resolve the issue of Americans missing in action. McCain has since referred to Kiet as his "friend."

McCain's chummy meeting with Kiet gave President Bill Clinton much needed political cover to lift the Vietnam trade embargo and withdraw U.S. opposition to Vietnam's access to multi-million dollar loans from the International Monetary Fund. Clinton did so before Veterans Day 1993, a move that jump started Hanoi's troubled economy. The about-face also removed any incentive for that country's leaders to explain the fate of U.S. prisoners of war who were in Vietnam's possession, but not released at the end of the war.