Recalling his military past may be key to John McCain's political future.

Declining in the polls and struggling with fundraising, the Republican presidential candidate draws an appreciative response from audiences when he recounts his Navy pilot days and the fortitude of some of his fellow POWs during the 6 1/2 years he spent in a North Vietnamese prison.

Vietnam is hardly the centerpiece of McCain's campaign; it's part of his biography and, as such, is an element in a broader narrative he is trying to paint of an experienced leader.