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Temper, Temper
April 21, 2008 9:12 AM
The Washington Post Sunday took a look at Sen. John McCain's legendary temper.
"Since the beginning of McCain's public life, the many witnesses to his temper have had strikingly different reactions to it," the Post writes. "Some depict McCain, now the presumptive Republican nominee for president, as an erratic hothead incapable of staying cool in the face of what he views as either disloyalty to him or irrational opposition to his ideas. Others praise a firebrand who is resolute against the forces of greed and gutlessness."
(The lead is an anecdote I first broke in 1999 about a McCain run-in with Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. Uncredited, natch.)
McCain's alter-ego and co-author, Mark Salter, responded to the Post piece in a letter to the National Review, calling the story "99% fiction" and "one of the more shoddy examples of journalism I've ever encountered. But for the infamous NYT story, I'd say it was the worst smear job on McCain I'd ever seen."
(I'm not sure if that includes "Killing weaves bizarre web," a rather infamous piece involving a headless, limbless torso and all sorts of unsubstantiated rumors by the Arizona Republic from 2000.)
What do you think?
- jpt
April 21, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (24)
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This issue of temper may be pertinent. But considering the despicable display of middle finger and accompanying smirk by Mr. Obama, the choice will which of these personalities, a short-tempered, but sincere, or a cool appearing, but profanity-courting, will be more presidential.
I only hope the priary goes on for a little bit ore time, so the voters will get to the true nature of the "uniter" and "positive campaigner".
He said "Shame on Hillary". Perhaps, the shame is on him.
Posted by: Onlooker | Apr 21, 2008 10:09:28 AM
I think three things
1. Yes I believe McCain has the kind of bad temper and fits of anger that are out of the ordinary. Bill Clinton was famous for his outbursts, but they never lasted long and the next day everything was fine again. The Washington Post learns us (again) that McCain's anger is not some spontaneous outburst, but part of his reptile mind. He doesn't forget or forgive, except for those who come crawling back to him. His anger is nasty.
2 McCain's character and personality fit the picture of your everyday dictator. I'm constantly reminded of Nabokovs description and analysis of the type in Bend Sinister. McCain is extremely IDLE without being handsome: that's the clue, the key to this character.
3.Salter is on dangerous grounds when calling the WP article fiction, saying that the Post invented people to address McCain's temper... If Salter is proven wrong, McCain's 'defense' for the rest of this campaign will be seen as untrustworthy. Calling these NYT and WP articles the "worst smear job" is also too much and too early, I'd say. For no doubt many more troublesome stories for McCain will come up in the months to come. They'll end up calling everything a smear job, so that nobody will believe the campaign any longer.
Posted by: ken | Apr 21, 2008 9:50:19 AM
Did you catch this in the email (complaining about the journalist protecting his sources and not giving all the details on the Johnson firing anecdote)
"It's like telling someone he's been accused of pedophilia, asking for a response, but declining to identify the incident in question."
Dude. I would not need ANY details about the accusation to strongly and without any caveat state I am not a pedophile ! What a strange defense to make !
Posted by: Benjamin | Apr 21, 2008 9:38:07 AM
Jake word to the wise:
Whatever you do don't bring up the subject of Milk Crates in front of McCain.
Posted by: The Commander Guy | Apr 21, 2008 9:27:12 AM
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