So now we come down to the "tough guy" strategy. The other guy is "soft" and I'm the big bad "real man" in the room.
Liar.
What kind of "real man" does this...
...to the guy who's campaign ruthlessly smeared him over an adopted child?
I was chatting with a fellow kossak about the merits of playing the McAngry angle in the campaign. He's a few years older than me and remembers the Reagan campaign in more detail. His concern was that it would actually be a favorable to those dense enough to think the "crazy cowboy" routine would help international negotiations by keeping the other party on edge.
I'm not sure I buy that argument, because that was right after Carter and during the prolonged Iran Hostage Crisis -- this election is right after two terms of "crazy cowboy" and given we have unstable nations rolling ahead with nuclear programs, trade agreements that hurt us, no mangos to speak of, and a war that everyone on the planet knows has tapped out our military resources, we've seen cowboy diplomacy fail miserably.
I still think pointing out that whereas Dumbya may make the occasional attempt at giving very important people inappropriate backrubs or hire cronies who play the wrong national anthem, McCain could create a much worse situation if he snaps off his famous temper at them -- especially some of the more egomaniacal on the international scene.
However, that said, I do think the "McCandyass" angle also deserves a run for the money.
After all here we have a guy who has abandoned just about every position he's ever taken a personal "maverick" stake in over the past few years just to endear himself to the very people who so brutally savaged him and his reputation (not just with the racist "black baby" smear, but 2000 was a dirty, dirty primary for Republicans) -- attacking not only him but his family.
Some man, that, always looking out for his family...
One wonders whether he actually even made the decision to run this year on his own, or just caved to pressure from others.
But can we play "McAngry" and "McCandyass" at the same time? Sure, why not. McCain can play greener-than-thou and who's-up-for-an-atlantic-oil-spill on the same damn day. Obviously consistency left the building in this campaign the minute the Straight Faced Express pulled into town.
After all, he really managed to excercise his manly authority and round up the real culprits when he "investigated" the Abramoff affair... NOT.
He obviously wasn't so manly as to stand up quickly and firmly when his campaign started to break the law he himself wrote and passed.
And here's a guy who's been a P.O.W. throwing the constitution, due process, and human rights under the bus to score cheap points with the wee-weenied inferiority-complex voting block.
And if he is willing to compromise the well being of our troops just to mollify the don't-want-to-pitch-in-for-gas small government crowd, to compromise that most sacred brotherhood... well then...
What exactly is important enough for him to actually stand up and fight for? If he won't rise to the defense of servicemen, what makes us think he'll rise to the defense of Americans? Or would he serve his whole term from a recliner, signing whatever was put in front of him? Isn't that what we have now? Does it matter whether or not he's the same as Bush if in the end the same hacks are pulling the strings on the flaccid, limp hunk of flesh languishing in the oval office?
Yeah, I think that narrative/theme definitely has some potential, too. Of course I prefer "the issues" but as you are all well aware by now, "issues talk" these days is carrying a subtle underlying character theme that acts alternatively as both subtext and segue. I think "McCandyass" works pretty well in the latter role.