The McCain Oopsapalooza Tour 5, Birthday Edition

(Previous Oopsapaloozas here.)

It's John McCain's 72d birthday today, August 29, 2008. (Just think, he's already older than the 69 years old 11 months plus Ronald Reagan was at the time of his inauguration in 1980--and we know how well that worked out.)

So, happy birthday, Senator McCain! Just think, depending on your family medical history, 70 is the new 80! And don't let those young whippersnappers tell you any different. I thought we could start with recognizing all the Things Younger Than John McCain, because a lot of The Youth don't seem to understand or appreciate what it means to have boyhood memories of the second world war.

(Pic caption: McCain & Bush birthday photo op, August 29, 2005--the day Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.)

TYTJM held a contest for birthday greetings to McCain, and this is the excellent winning entry:

(On McCain website: H/T to Online Director Dude for Kerry, Whose Card I Seem to Have Lost, Sorry)

Alaska, as we know from reading Things Younger Than John McCain, is home state of Governor Sarah Palin, McCain's VP pick. Both Palin and the state of Alaska are younger than our fair Senator. Gee, older than a U.S. state--there should be a medal for that distinction.

Picking a conservative, "pro-life" woman in an effort to peel off Clinton supporters from the Democratic Party--way to ride that Pander Express, McCain! I guess you think Clinton supporters will vote for anybody with ovaries, regardless of Palin's stance on reproductive health, offshore drilling, or total LACK of stance on foreign policy, government reform, corporations, immigration, technology, free trade, or jobs creation. Oops.

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There's one important thing older than John McCain (8/29/36), and it's Social Security, signed on 8/14/35. Given his personal wealth, McCain doesn't need it. (In fact, most Americans support cuts in benefits to wealthy recipients of Social Security.) But the rest of us still do, and "privatizing" it through "personal savings accounts" subject to the highs and lows of the market is Social Insecurity.

* * *

A recent TIME magazine interview with McCain reveals him to be 'prickly', flat-footed, and robotic-sounding. Hmmm, if this is how he behaves in an interview, I can't wait for the debates. It'll be like Christmas, Hanukah, Ramadan, Diwali, Halloween, and Chinese New Year all rolled into one. Enjoy some sample appetizers (my notes in this color):

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. (All of which were ghost-written or co-written with the help of Mark Salter.)

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. (Again, ghost-written or "as told to". Lesson being: it's hard to talk about your books off the cuff when you haven't written them.)

[Your] campaign today is more disciplined, more traditional, more aggressive. From your point of view, why the change? (Limiting access to McCain as opposed to the "Straight Talk Express" all-access pass journos had enjoyed before July 2008.)
I will do as much as we possibly can do to provide as much access to the press as possible.

But beyond the press, sir, just in terms of ...
I think we're running a fine campaign, and this is where we are.

Do you miss the old way of doing it?
I don't know what you're talking about.

Really? Come on, Senator.
I'll provide as much access as possible ...

(Ad infinitum. There were also questions that garnered the eyebrow-raising "crickets chirping" sound effect as McCain didn't deign to respond.) A big purple OOPS.