As the wife of a retired AF officer, I can assure you that John McCain has a long and distinguished history of visiting with active duty and veterans alike. It's not a ploy, it's who he is. His family has a tradition of military service going back several generations, and his son is currently enlisted in the Marine Corps (and has served in Iraq).

While you might not care for his political position, have no doubt he has always been sincere about supporting military vets and servicemen. He's done it for years and years.... it's something any military member can respect about him.