This is what Brit Hume of Fox News considers praiseworthy when reporting about the presumptive GOP nominee, Straight Shooter McCain (via Media Matters):
HUME: John McCain managed to hold on to his famous temper today as he began a different kind of campaign to raise money for the fight in the fall, and rally the more conservative members of the party to his side. Chief political correspondent Carl Cameron reports from West Palm Beach, Florida. […]
CAMERON: On his first campaign swing as the GOP’s nominee, John McCain went to the crucial swing state of Florida to begin the process of energizing his party. And he was immediately plagued by microphone problems. […]
CAMERON: Starting from his attempt to thank Florida Governor Charlie Crist for his support, McCain’s patience and temper were tested for 20 awkward, halting minutes. […]
CAMERON: As he and Governor Crist headed for McCain’s campaign plane, McCain again kept his cool when he was whacked on the head by a TV camera. Both McCain and an aide wheeled on the cameraman but quickly regained their composure. […]
CAMERON: McCain makes no bones about blowing his stack occasionally and having a temper. A campaign has the capacity to test the temperament and character of a candidate. If today was a pop quiz, you got to say McCain passed — Brit.
HUME: Yeah, with flying colors I’d say, under the circumstances. Thanks, Carl.
Now isn’t that special. John McCain — he can hold his temper, sometimes. Makes a nice campaign slogan if you ask me. Just don’t make him answer the phone at 3:00 am in the morning. Oh, and don’t ever ask him about John Kerry. Might not be pretty.
“Just don’t make him answer the phone at 3:00 am in the morning. Might not be pretty.”
Or make him answer questions about his flirtation with Kerry and the Democratic party…
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2008/03/mccain_flashes_temper_at_repor.php
In other news, Our Glorious People’s News Organ has deemed it to be a good day because Bush went a whole five minutes without being a moron and Dick Cheney went a whole three point two microseconds without being totally evil.
The sad thing is when I read this:
My first thought was : Bullshit. Impossible.
What does it mean when a person loses their temper?
To most of us, it’s an embarassing moment when anger overrules logic and one is inclined to apologize soon after.
Not so McCain.
McCain’s temper shows itself when he wants to bully someone. It is bravado he brandishes to point at a person or argument that he wants to belittle into obscurity rather than argue with on the merits and he wants immediate cessation.
People who bully don’t normally feel comfortable surrounding themselves with a cabinet that will challenge arguments or positions until the strongest plans works its way to the surface.
Bumiller was not taunting McCain. He chose to wield his temper at her. Temper should not be the first weapon of choice a presidential candidate reaches for.
Then again, maybe this was the threshhold Hillary was referring to this week.
He’d have a coronary or a stroke.
This is the McCain meme – he’s a hothead.
So, we need him to lose his temper and he loses the election.
I doubt it.
OK, maybe he didn’t lose control and bounce around the cabin or slug the reporter. So, I guess there’s a little gray area about losing your temper.
However, when a presidential nominee gets this discomfited by a reporter’s inconvenient question in a casual setting, it leads me to think that a high pressure debate might lead to a meltdown.
American voters won’t respond well to a crotchety old man who can’t seem to keep it together before he gets access to nuclear weapons.
Should McCain be given the “kitchen sink” treatment that Sen. Clinton has been throwing at Obama lately then a well placed question, gibe or insinuation could set him off in a public setting with cameras recording.
Of course, if it’s Sen. Clinton doing the needling then McCain can simply point out how she thinks that he’s so well qualified to be CnC.