McCain: A profile in courage and adaptation

SF Chronicle ^ | 9/21/2008 | Kevin Fagin

[markomalley]

It was here in Arizona, during John McCain's first run for public office in 1982, that the former Vietnam War prisoner came up with the line that assured his career in public office.

McCain, then 46 and struggling to capture the Republican primary for a seat in Congress, was grimacing during a campaign forum at the latest of many accusations that he was a carpetbagger, having just moved in the past year to the congressional district in Tucson he wanted to represent.

He'd been diplomatic up to that point. But his soon-to-be-famous temper, sarcasm and no-holds-barred qualities all suddenly exploded.

"Listen, pal," he snarled. "I spent 22 years in the Navy. ... We had to live in all parts of the country, all parts of the world. ... When I think about it now, the place I lived in longest in my life was Hanoi." The audience sat shocked, then erupted into thunderous applause.

[markomalley]

Actually a very respectable bio...particularly coming from the Chronicle!

Shocking.

[mrsmel]

My first thought-how did this slip through that paper?

[cpdiii]

What the hell just happened? That was a very fair article from the SF Chronicle, and I am not even drinking.

[tuckrdout]

Me too! But notice how in the middle of the article, there is a link to a story about Obama?! Also, manages to get in all the Democratic talking points about his temper, his divorce, Keating five, and whatever other dirt they could fit in there, all wrapped up in a “nice” article.

[mrsmel]

I noticed all that, but it was done in a pretty low-key way. SFC is usually all vitriol, all the time, re:Republicans. Any fair-minded person would come away with a fairly good opinion of McCain from this story.

(To tell the truth, reading some of the lines, I wondered if the writer had a secret crush on McCain, the references to his “manliness” and such, if you get my drift)