The maverick, the straight-talk express and the old John McCain has left us a while back. He used to have a great personality when put in front of the press but it seems things have changed. Rick Davis has done quite a number on the candidate, despite no one really knowing who is in charge at campaign headquarters. Regardless, either Davis or another former Bushie is making an impact on the once-friendly and affable John McCain.
From Time Magazine:
And so when TIME's James Carney and Michael Scherer were invited to the front of McCain's plane recently for an interview, they were ushered forward, past the curtain that now separates reporters from the candidate, past the sofa that was designed for his gabfests with the press and taken straight to the candidate's seat. McCain at first seemed happy enough to do the interview. But his mood quickly soured. The McCain on display in the 24-minute interview was prickly, at times abrasive, and determined not to stray off message. An excerpt:
What do you want voters to know coming out of the Republican Convention — about you, about your candidacy?
I'm prepared to be President of the United States, and I'll put my country first.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.
And the Q and A didn't get much better from there. McCain used to be chatty with the press, often talking to them until they had no more questions. The gaggle loved it and showed their admiration in flimsy pieces of journalism that lauded the Senator. Now it is as if he is chained down to the chair and made to give manufactured answers. The campaign is worried that he'll screw up and make a fool of himself. Nearly all of the questions the authors asked were answered with either short and curt responses, a shaking of the head or nothing at all. McCain HQ might want to run a tight ship, but they are turning the guy into an Arizona state fruit.
The last question in the article is also extremely telling of the differences between the two candidates:
A lot of people know about your service from your books, but most people don't know that you have two sons currently in the military. Can you describe what it means to have Jack and Jimmy in uniform?
We don't discuss our sons.
I wonder if that will be the tone for his children and ______ (Pawlenty's/Lieberman's/Romney's) kids as well? This week we have seen both Obama and Biden's children up on stage and their presence was incredible, touching and heartfelt. So we'll see if the man that doesn't discuss his children will also ignore them in Minneapolis next week.
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