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John McCain got testy this week in an interview with the editorial board of the Des Moines Register. In video clips from the hour-long session on Monday, McCain appears stiff, uncomfortable, and aggressive, clenching his jaw as he offered abrupt, sarcastic answers to questions from the editors (see Des Moines Register, Huffington Post, Washington Post).
McCain grew especially testy when asked about his running mate, Sarah Palin, and about whether she has the knowledge and experience to be president. Reminded that there are people, including prominent conservatives, who think Palin is not ready, McCain turned sarcastic. "Really...?" he asked with mock surprise, "...I haven't detected that.... Now, if there's a Georgetown cocktail party person who, quote, calls himself a conservative, and doesn't like her, good luck, good luck, fine."
McCain also angrily dismissed the suggestion that his campaign has been less than honest in its attacks on Barack Obama. "I think it would be valuable if you gave me some examples from, for an assertion of that nature," McCain said, clearly annoyed. Confronted with the example of a now-discredited McCain ad claiming that Obama supported comprehensive sex education for kindergarten children, McCain insisted: "He did. He did. He did. I'll be glad to provide you -- we have the documentation. I'll be glad to provide it to you. Now, you may not accept that documentation. We have it and we found out it's true."
On the topic of health care reform, the editors noted that McCain has enjoyed taxpayer-financed health care plan his entire adult life. McCain again shot back a sarcastic reply: "You know that's an interesting statement, isn't it?" he asked, grinning. "So, and I have never, um, been an astronaut, but I think I know the challenges of space. And I've never done a lot of things in my life that I think I am familiar with." McCain then contrasted his health care plan with Obama's, which he described as government-run health care. At last, McCain leaned back in his chair with a self-satisfied smirk and once again played his POW card: "I did go a period of time where the health care wasn't so good."
Following on the heels of his angry, disdainful performance in his recent debate with Obama, this interview and video is certain to provoke further discussion of McCain's temperament problem as well his problem with the truth. This may prove as unhelpful to McCain's presidential hopes as those recent jaw-dropping interviews with his running mate.
Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com
