Not sure I'd throw that stone so early  

Emergencies are strange animals. I recently had an event that probably warranted land sooner than I did. My choice was a flowing river or back to the lz 2 miles away. I chose the latter. It seemed like an eternity, but if the aircraft feels like it's flying, it's hard not to continue.

If he in fact was oei, how the hell do you just plop in down on US1 when you see a runway straight ahead.

I think a majority of pilots would have made the same choice.