Criminals?
What else do you call people who violate the Geneva convention?
McCain's logic in thinking it's OK to use the term "gooks" to describe his captors (who, yes, were criminals) is the same as someone saying "I say n*gger, but only about the guys who stole my car" or "Cracker, but only about white folk who won't hire me".
It's also just as much about the fact that he doesn't seem to realize in our polarizing political culture, that saying something like that is purely stupid.
The same can be said for Biden, but I just figured what's good for the goose...