john mccain
09/05/2007
Senator John McCain's Crotchety Old Man Presidential Campaign
Senator John McCain's campaign for president could be going better; 2008 looms, but his fundraising and polling aren't nearly what they could be. So his decision to tackle questions about his age (he just turned 71 on August 29th, making him the oldest candidate in the race) is a solid one -- better to address those concerns head-on than let them fester in the minds of the voters.
But in this Concord, New Hampshire town hall meeting, when a high school student asks McCain if he's too old to handle the presidency, there are a few missteps in the senator's answer. First off, when he claims that he's "very active" and still "enjoys life," he kind of sounds like an commercial for Ensure. And when he calls the young man a "little jerk," he sounds like Old Man Withers, telling kids to get the frick off his lawn. John McCain, if you're going to insult the kids of today, maybe you should watch Superbad first. Learn how to cuss in their language.
05/07/2007
McCain Fails to Send Out Good Vibrations
In this excerpt from an interview with Google CEO Eric Schmidt, McCain is given the chance to rectify the damage done by his most recent political gaff/Beach Boys tribute. But while this follow-up to the hit single "Bomb Bomb Iran" lacks the catchiness of the original classic, both tracks share the same screwed-up attitude towards foreign policy. What next, Senator -- referring to the complaints of your detractors as "pet sounds"?
04/20/2007
Bomb Bomb Bomb, Bomb Bomb Iran
We joke about American politics being reduced to slogans and theme songs -- but there's a hint of truth in every good joke. And the really great jokes can be more than a little disturbing. Take, for example, John McCain's distillation of future US foreign policy into a Beach Boys riff. On the surface, it seems like he's just kidding around. But then you realize that a Presidential candidate is talking about bombing another country. And laughing while he does it.
