Andrew Malcolm writes in the Los Angeles Times about a celebrity endorsement that Barack Obama could certainly have done without. Under the banner line, "Jane Fonda Endorses Barack Obama; There Goes his Crossover Vote," Malcolm reminded readers why Fonda remains such a lightening rod for criticism, especially given the G.O.P. nominee in this election:...During Fonda's controversial wartime visit to North Vietnam, she was photographed at a Communist anti-aircraft gun battery. According to the photo caption distributed at the time, she joined North Vietnamese soldiers there in singing an antiwar song while preparing to shoot at attacking Americans. This earned her the nickname Hanoi Jane (indeed, that's the TMZ headline this afternoon) and an enduring image as a polarizing figure, especially regarding patriotism.
As it happens, the Republican presidential candidate this time is Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who was one of those American fliers shot down over that same city by those same anti-aircraft forces, tortured and spent nearly six years in a POW cell while Fonda returned home.
