McCain Gets Prickly During Time Interview

Reporters have frequently commented on the degeneration of John McCain's "Straight Talk Express" policy throughout the campaign, but his lack of openness with the press came to the fore in a recent interview with Time Magazine. Below are some excerpts from the interview.

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.

...

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.

...

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.]

Do I know you? [Says with a laugh.]
[Long pause.] I'm very happy with the way our campaign has been conducted, and I am very pleased and humbled to have the nomination of the Republican Party.

...

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.

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Comments

[laland69]

The Democrats need to find a way to make John McCain lose it on national tv. The American people need to see this man for what he really is, a fraud.

[zekeandrick]

There ya go.....may­be during one of the debates when he's got nothing to come back with when Obama nails has tired ass to the floorboards

That punk Hannity tried to pin down Michael Dukakis last night by asking what Obama has done...whe­n he fired back with Obama and Maliki shaking hands and agreeing to a timetable and Bush acknowledging the same thing the next day, all of a sudden Hannity had to go to a commercial break.....­...a true lightweight masquerding as a journalist

The last time William Kristol was on Charlie Rose he was debating Richard Holbrooke and he ripped Kristoll's lame ass too.......­these clowns are ever-increasingly being shown as simpleton blowhards.

[Beca]

Don't worry we will all have the pleasure of seeing McCain lose it on national tv during the Presidential Debates. I can just see it now, it's going to be quite funny and sad for him and his family.

[HUFFNAME]

Who cares if he "got prickly"? He told the interviewer that Iraq is "a peaceful and stable country now" ... and Time neglected to share that evaluation with us.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/28/mccain-iraq-peaceful/

[HUFFNAME]

http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/50714-mccain-iraq-is-a-peaceful-and-stable-country-now

[rollingdivision]

Just Time trolling for a hot headed blow up and not getting any bites. Better luck next time.

"...many media folks are dying to piss off McCain and get him to blow up and confirm the idea that he's a big hothead? Obviously, he knows that and he's not taking the bait. Yet you still publish an article called "McCain's Prickly TIME Interview," trying to portray it as the blowup you were not able to procure. Lame. Shameless bias." Yeah, guess why. Note that what Time provides here is "an excerpt," so it's not as if the conversation started out this curt." Ann Althouse

[Beca]

That's because he is on calming drugs everytime he goes out in public. Not to worry their effectiveness wears down the more he takes them. Just wait for the debates, it's going to be rich!

[Manchurian]

You make some good points, but "prickly" and "blow up" are not the same. McCain DID come off as "prickly" in this interview (but I may have too if I'd been subjected to the same interview).

[Brebro]

I'm surprised he knew or was willing to divulge how many books he has written!

He's big on 5's, 5 books, 5 houses... 5 million a year to be rich!

[Pammie]

the KEATING 5 .........l­ol

never a mention of hat from the media, huh?

pammie

[sandpiper1]

He didnt' write any of them..his long time aide wrote them all based on his knowldege of McCain and he approved them. I wonder if McCain split the $$$ he made off them 50/50?

[95flhtcu]

What amazes me is the press, even after being told F&%$U, won't tell the truth about McFudd. Are they waiting in hopes of getting the bus back?

[rusdr61]

The truth is McCain did not write his own books, so he can't answer what is in them.
Do you really want this to be the reaction to a question asked of the President.

[Redrover666]

I'd say it's better than the Obama response.
Tough question? ...... Run!

[SkyPilot126]

Huh ??? When????

More republican lies because they HAVE NO Plan for the country, all they do is talk about Democrats, kinda like they wish they were one!

Let's hear mccain plans - I havce never heard one from his mouth, but I have from Obama.

Wake up and start to care about your Country, not just you.

[mesut]

I still ask....why are reporters surprised? McCain is getting pretty good at discounting them. Makes me wonder why they keep trying to get a story from him.

[lissak]

Will this be his conduct during the debates?

[klmebane]

"Will this be his conduct during the debates?"

oh, man, i hope so!

[MikePS65]

Actually, he didn't admit to a mistake on the Confederate flag issue. He admitted to it being a waffle of the worst kind, inspired by "all the wrong reasons, for ambition."

The guy is a walking talking contradiction, happily saying whatever he thinks he has to say to get him win an election. Disgusting.

[kasinca]

Old man yells at the clouds.

[Tropiholic]

i'm waiting for the primetime explosion on national tv

[nicholasclaxton]

McP.O.Duby­a Strikes Again!

[MarciL]

Oh, now THAT was a good one, LOL!!

[oaddi]

I'm about to lose my mind up in here, up in here, I'm about to lose my cool up in here, up in here.

[PADDYWHACK]

Will we ever see his military records ?.

[nicholasclaxton]

McCain would reply with; "You don't need to see my records. Im McP.O.Duby­a"