John McCain is a prime example of "What You See Is What You Get" with a political candidate. McCain has a vicious temper, one that would not likely serve him well as president, and he's not shy about using it.
I’m certain many of our conservative friends who are currently struggling with whether or not to support him have long since forgotten his infamous line to Senator Cornyn last May where in a discussion about immigration, McCain shouted at Cornyn, "[Expletive] you! I know more about this than anyone else in the room,".
Perhaps they also forget what former New Hampshire Senator Bob Smith, a Republican, said about him in 2006:
"I have witnessed incidents where he has used profanity at colleagues and exploded at colleagues," said former Senator Smith, who served with McCain on the Senate Armed Services Committee and on Republican policy committees. "He would disagree about something and then explode. It was incidents of irrational behavior. We’ve all had incidents where we have gotten angry, but I’ve never seen anyone act like that."
Another former senator who requested anonymity recalled an exchange at a Republican policy lunch. McCain turned on another senator who disagreed with him.
"McCain used the f-word," the former senator said. "McCain called the guy a ‘sh–head.’ The senator demanded an apology. McCain stood up and said, ‘I apologize, but you’re still a sh–head.’ That was in front of 40 to 50 Republican senators. That sort of thing happened frequently."
And who can forget the Associated Press story reporting McCain’s 1998 joke suggesting that Chelsea Clinton was ugly and Janet Reno and Hillary Clinton were lesbians.
"Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly?" McCain said at a GOP fund-raiser in Washington. "Because Janet Reno is her father."
Well, Mr. McAngry is at again. . .here’s how it went down this time, courtesy of Raw Story:
John McCain is known for his willingness to engage reporters on all matter of issues, so some scribes on his campaign plane were taken aback Friday when the Republican presidential candidate appeared to lose his cool when talking to a New York Times correspondent.
Elisabeth Bumiller asked McCain about a meeting he had with then-presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004 about becoming the Democrat’s running mate. McCain had just mentioned to a town hall meeting in Atlanta that he and Kerry "had that conversation," but he turned down the offer to share the ticket.
Bumiller noted that McCain denied speaking to Kerry at the time, citing a May 2004 Times article. The candidate appeared to grow agitated, although he never raised his voice. Fox News broadcast video of the exchange.
"Everybody knows that I had a private conversation. ... There’s no living American in Washington" who doesn’t know, McCain said.
Although there were widespread reports about Kerry’s campaign reaching out to McCain to join his ticket in 2004, some reporters thought his acknowledgment of a direct conversation between the two was news, a Fox producer who was on the plane said.
It appears Bumiller was asking about this Times article from May 15, 2004:
Asked if Senator Kerry had made such an offer, Mr. McCain said no without hesitation. But asked if the two men had ever discussed it, even casually, he paused for a moment.
"No," he said finally. "We really haven’t."
ABC News produced this transcript of McCain and Bumiller’s exchange:
New York Times correspondent Elisabeth Bumiller: Senator can I ask you about Senator Kerry. I just went back and looked at our story, the Times story, and you told Sheryl Stolberg that you had never had a conversation with Kerry about being, about Vice President –
John McCain: Everybody knows that I had a private conversation. Everybody knows that. That I had a conversation. There’s no living American in Washington -
EB: Okay.
McCain: - that knows that, there’s no one.
EB: Okay
McCain: And you know it too. You know it. You know it. So I don’t even know why you ask.
EB: Well I ask because I just read –-
McCain: You do know it. You do know it.
EB: Because I just read in the Times in May of ’04 you said.
McCain: I don’t know what you may have read or heard of, I don’t know the circumstances. Maybe in May of 04 I hadn’t had the conversation –
EB: But do you recall the conversation?
McCain: I don’t know, but it’s well known that I had the conversation. It is absolutely well known by everyone. So do you have a question on another issue?
EB: Well can I ask you when the conversation was?
McCain: No. Nope, because the issue is closed as far as I’m concerned. Everybody knows it. Everybody knows it in America.
EB: Can you describe the conversation?
McCain: Pardon me.
EB: Can you describe the conversation?
McCain: No, of course not. I don’t describe private conversations.
EB: Okay. Can I ask you –
McCain: Why should I? Then there’s no such thing as a private conversation. Is there (inaudible) if you have a private conversation with someone, and then they come and tell you. I don’t know that that’s a private conversation. I think that’s a public conversation.
EB. Okay. Can I ask you about your (pause) Why you’re so angry?
McCain: Pardon me?
EB: Nevermind, nevermind.
McCain: I mean it’s well known. Everybody knows. It’s been well chronicled a thousand times. John Kerry asked if I would consider being his running mate.
EB: Right.
McCain: And I said categorically no, under no circumstances. That’s all very well known.
EB: Okay, let me ask you... (moves on to another question.)
Is this who we really want in control of our foreign policy? Do we really want this guy with the authority to "press the button"? Haven’t we had enough of this brand of "diplomacy"? If this were you or I, we might find ourselves ordered into anger management classes by our local magistrates.
Think about it.
This is crossposted at PoliticalDiner.Com