In the latest edition of Time Magazine, reporters James Carney and Michael Scherer were allowed access to Mr. Straight Talk Himself, John McCain.
Unfortunately for Messrs. Scherer and Carney, the man famous for having the press as his base, no doubt enticed by dry rub and an endless frosty mug of Bud Light wasn't in a talking mood...
There's a theme that recurs in your books and your speeches, both about putting country first but also about honor. I wonder if you could define honor for us?
Read it in my books.
I've read your books.
No, I'm not going to define it.
But honor in politics?
I defined it in five books. Read my books.
Read my books! Read my books! Why even go out on the campaign trail, John? Just send a copy of your book to 300 million people.
In 2000, after the primaries, you went back to South Carolina to talk about what you felt was a mistake you had made on the Confederate flag. Is there anything so far about this campaign that you wish you could take back or you might revisit when it's over?
[Does not answer.]
Glad we got some straight talk there, Senator. Just like Bush, he can't admit a mistake.
Jumping around a bit: in your books, you've talked about what it was like to go through the Keating Five experience, and you've been quoted as saying it was one of the worst experiences of your life. Someone else quoted you as saying it was even worse than being a POW ...
That's another one of those statements made 17 or 18 years ago which was out of the context of the conversation I was having. Of course the worst, the toughest experience of my life was being imprisoned, so people can pluck phrases from 17 or 18 years ago ...
Wait...a POW? I'm glad he's telling us NOW, before the election, so we can all bask in the glory of his imprisonment, and how it's made him see the light of diplomacy, and hate war for the rest of his days...what? He does?
Talk about bad press. If McCain keeps this Grandpa Sour act up through November 4th he'll have lost both of his bases. No one likes a curmudgeon.