McCain and the ‘presidential temperament’ question

January 29, 2008

Certain campaign narratives develop for presidential candidates during the primaries, and end up sticking through the general election. Regrettably, the Dems have their hands full with both a competitive primary of their own and a large Republican field, and as such, no one’s been laying the groundwork for these narratives when it comes to John McCain.

If Dems are planning to start working on this, I might recommend an obvious one: the senator appears to have temperament issues. Investor’s Business Daily, a conservative economic publication, asks this week, “Can McCain Control His Temper?”

John McCain claims his temper is not an issue. “I don’t think I would have the support of so many of my colleagues if that were the case.” Who are these supportive colleagues?

They certainly do not include Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. Over the weekend, he announced he cannot endorse his colleague for the White House and is endorsing Gov. Mitt Romney instead.

“The thought of him being president sends a cold chill down my spine,” Cochran said. “He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.”

Perhaps Cochran can’t appreciate the maverick in McCain. But the same can’t be said of Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, a noted reformer and friend of whistle-blowers. Grassley said in a recent interview that he was so upset by a McCain tirade that he didn’t speak to him “for a couple of years.” McCain got in his face and shouted an obscenity at him. […]

[I]t seems McCain goes ballistic on anyone who disagrees with him. And he’s not just verbally abusive, but physically threatening.

Now, it’s worth noting that when George W. Bush’s conservative allies launched a smear campaign against McCain in 2000’s South Carolina primary, one of the more tasteless attacks argued that McCain, after years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, had developed mental problems, and was insufficiently stable. Those smears were obviously offensive and disgusting, and have no place in the discourse.

But this is a different question entirely, and deserves to be considered on its merits. Does John McCain — a man Newsweek once labeled, “Senator Hothead” — have a temperament issue? And is it relevant in the campaign?

Investor’s Business Daily brought up the Reagan comparison.

We appreciate that McCain, who was dead right about the surge, is willing to stare down “radical Islamic extremists.” We want them to fear our commander in chief. It helps if they believe he’s got his finger on the button, so to speak, as the Soviets believed with President Reagan.

Difference is, Reagan didn’t have an itchy trigger finger. His recently published diaries confirm that he skillfully used firm diplomacy behind the scenes. We’re not so sure McCain can control his bellicosity.

The concerns are certainly well grounded. A few weeks ago, Amanda at TP pulled together some of my favorite examples of McCain’s infamous temperament, including:

* In a “heated dispute over immigration-law overhaul” last year, McCain screamed at Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), “F**k you!” He added, “This is chickens**t stuff…. You’ve always been against this bill, and you’re just trying to derail it.” [5/19/07]

* In a discussion over the “fate of Vietnam MIAs,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) asked McCain, “Are you calling me stupid?” “No,” replied McCain, “I’m calling you a f**ing jerk!” [Newsweek, 2/21/00]

* At a GOP meeting in fall 1999, McCain “erupted” at Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) and shouted, “Only an a**hole would put together a budget like this.” When Domenici expressed his outrage, McCain responded, “I wouldn’t call you an a**hole unless you really were an a**hole.” [Newsweek, 2/21/00]

These apparently aren’t isolated incidents.

“I have witnessed incidents where he has used profanity at colleagues and exploded at colleagues,” said former Senator Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican who served with McCain on the Senate Armed Services Committee and on Republican policy committees. “He would disagree about something and then explode. It was incidents of irrational behavior. We’ve all had incidents where we have gotten angry, but I’ve never seen anyone act like that.”

McCain’s outbursts often erupted when other members rebuffed his requests for support during his bid in 2000 for the Republican nomination for president. A former Senate staffer recalled what happened when McCain asked for support from a fellow Republican senator on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

“The senator explained that he had already committed to support George Bush,” the former Senate staffer said. “McCain said ‘f**k you’ and never spoke to him again.”

Keep in mind, we’re talking about McCain dropping F-bombs on Republicans.

Given all of this, is it so unreasonable to at least consider the question of McCain’s temperament before he’s the GOP presidential nominee?

I have a hard time not dropping F-bombs on Republicans too.

So I am not going to hold it against McCain.

  • I don’t see why the SC stuff regarding his temperament was actually unreasonable. McCain obviously has PTSD, which is completely inevitable and understandable after what he went through in Vietnam. But, unless he’s dealt with the issue, basically through intensive psychiatric treatment and either Buddhist or transcendental meditation, it’s totally legitimate to state — not question — his lack fitness for office on these grounds.

    I mean, the black baby stuff was completely warped and below the belt, but the PTSD thing seems to be entirely true. That’s not someone you want anywhere near the red telephone.

  • I’m serious:

    http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_what_is_ptsd.html

    Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you see or that happens to you. During this type of event, you think that your life or others’ lives are in danger. You may feel afraid or feel that you have no control over what is happening.

  • Interesting that there aren’t documented cases of throwing any f-bombs the Dems way. Moreover, Bill Clinton recently went out of his way to call out McCain’s civility when dealing with his wife.

    Perhaps McCain’s outbursts against his GOP mates were well deserved in these few cases???? I mean, many of you have called out the GOP’s stonewalling skills… Perhaps McCain was fed up with his own party in these instances, and was calling out the ones who deserved to be called out.

  • Anyone who thinks that starting a war with Iran is funny needs to be put out to pasture.

    F-bombs or no, the man is crazy.

  • I’m too lazy to do a quick look back, but about a year ago Obama and him were working on a bit of legislation over lobbying reform and had a disagreement about it. McCain simply just lost it, and his rage just seemed way disproportioned to the offense. I’d heard the claims about his temper, but that incident really stuck with me.

  • If McCain has problems controlling his temper now it will only get worse during a presidency. I think he’s a loose canon and should not be elected.

  • I don’t care if he has PTSD or if he just “dropped them” (F bombs) on his own party members. Name calling and swearing at colleagues is not how an intelligent, responsible, true professional acts in any circumstance. If he can’t control himself in times of minor stress or disagreement do we want him with his finger on THE BUTTON?

    I dislike McCain for many of his past political maneuvers, legislation, and stances, but this confirms that he is not someone that the Republicans should nominate as their candidate for President of the United States.

  • We’ve all joked about Rudy having “9/11 Tourette Syndrome.” McCain just has plain old Tourette’s. Imagine the extra layer of intrigue his temper would add to, say, Middle East peace negotiations.

    McCain is held at bay with his political power held in check by 99 other Senators. I don’t want to see him acting on his impulses with unfettered “unitary executive” powers. Bull, meet china shop.

  • I hate to say it, but, in all of the quotes you gather, Carpetbagger, I have to wholly agree with McCain…

    I mean, calling a Republifuck a “jerk”, or an “asshole”? This stuff is, for most of us, rather tame language…

    Unhinged, I think, would describe the republifuck boot-lickers who wallow around in dubya’s wake… Not someone who is, on occasion, willing to call a spade a spade.

  • Re #5 and #7

    Ah yes, I remember that one.

    John McCain, or St. John as George F. Will calls him in today’s column, really is not fit to be president anymore. Maybe he was in 2000, but I doubt that too.

    Sad really, we are either getting a Ken Doll or a Rock-em-Sock-em Robot for President.

    You’d think the Republican’ts would get over this idea of running toys for President, rather than real people.

  • Castor Troy @11: Ok, but after calling all of them assholes, would you want to be in a competition to see who has the most asshole qualities?

  • VP Cheney seems to be doing OK even though he seems to have problems controlling his words.

    Just ask Senator Leahy.

    Well, come to think of it, the VP remained quite calm after he shot a friend in the face. I don’t think I would have remained so calm. I guess I am not VP material

  • Here is a new slogan for his campaign: “Senator Timebomb: You Never Know When He’ll Go Off.”

    Yeah, I like that one. 😉

  • ***Jrs Jr.***of course one might be justified or “feel” that way but we don’t act on it. Responsible people at that level especially.
    Racer-X is right. The thinking that would bring a “bomb-Iran” tune to mind and think it was funny is crazy…crazy to seriously think it becomes a presidential candidate.
    I hope this gets brought to the public’s attention more often. McCain’s insane. You can see it on him…the repressed rage. This man should not be allowed anywhere near the trigger of a weapon.
    That one tactic alone should have been enough to put him out to pasture. Thank god I will never have to worry about this man ever being president. Hopefully Arizona will see he’s long past due for retirement from the senate. They’ve been paying a lot for very little for too long now.

  • “Sitting in the cockpit he’s a soldier without match,
    In his monogrammed flak jacket with the A-4 Skyhawk patch,
    Dropped napalm on a village and he burned the whole thing flat,
    Killed a hundred non-combatants and he’s ‘Sorry about that.'”

    That doggerel was going around while I was over in that old Vietnam. “Sorry about that” was slang for “I could give a fuck.” So, I can see how McCain would giggle about bombing Iran.

  • Danp– actually, aside from Guiliani, I am rather agnostic about the republican side this year. Romney is basically an opportunist liberal (e.g. he is willing to sell out his personal beliefs for personal gain), so not so much danger there. McCain is, well, a Vet. And Service is a great equalizer. Yeah, there might be some aberrations, but, in general, when you have a President who has served, there isn’t so much ‘risk’ there (e.g. compare with last 7 years…). Huckabee, well…. I would Love it if the Religious Reich got him to carry their banner (I mean, gosh, a sell-out on par with Romney, coupled with some good weird evangalist stuff? Pass the popcorn!).

    Not saying that I would want any of these guys as President, but, frankly, after the last 7 years, having a potted plant in the Oval Office (and NOT as decoration) would be an improvement…. Guess my standards are just getting low…

  • I know people think of the Senate as a glorified frat house, where the boys can just be themselves and curse and act out and have temper tantrums with abandon, but the Senate – and the House – are places where the code of decorum is no joke. This is a place where people are expected to be referred to as the “Gentleman” or the “Gentlelady” from whatever state they represent, and where one Senator will ask if his “esteemed colleague” would yield time – even if the two are mortal enemies.

    That’s why McCain’s behavior stands out, why the reaction to his outbursts is shock and indignation – it crosses a line that they are taught from Day One is firmly drawn in the sand.

  • McCain responded, “I wouldn’t call you an a**hole unless you really were an a**hole.”

    Aw come on McCain_not_abel. I worry about your faith in your absolutes.

    For a man who can’t lift his arms to be okay with torture is like pigs opening a bar-b-que.

    LOL on Lance’s rock’em sock’em robot.

  • Good point Anne #19. I guess McCain is an is-steamed colleague.

    Like they say, he has two moods. Pissed off and about-to-be pissed off.

  • Dale said: “LOL on Lance’s rock’em sock’em robot.”

    I but live to serve.

    Oh, and more threads about the REPUBLICAN’TS and fewer about Bill please.

  • Sad really, we are either getting a Ken Doll or a Rock-em-Sock-em Robot for President.

    You’d think the Republican’ts would get over this idea of running toys for President, rather than real people.

    Hey, they won the presidency twice now with a G.I. Joe doll — easily dressed up like a soldier, and no genitalia to lead to Clintonian “zipper problems.”

    Why stop now?

  • If one is mentally unstable it is not a “smear” to say so. If it is untrue, then it is a “smear”. So…is he or isn’t he? Does anyone know?

    Quite frankly I think our potential presidents should first be able to pass a written test about government and world politics, then a physical and mental examination before they can run for president. All test scores and examination results should then be made public.

    I hate to buy a pig in a poke.

  • RE #23,

    I think he was dressed up as a Naval Aviator actually, but you have a point.

    The Republican’ts do seem to like their “action figures”. Makes you wonder how many are actually Foleys or Craigs.

  • VP Cheney seems to be doing OK even though he seems to have problems controlling his words.

    I suppose if you think outing a CIA agent is “doing OK”, then you think that. I however, do *not* think Cheney is doing OK and the plame affair is just one of many data points.

  • If McCain is elected he will crack under the pressure of the office and especially the challenges we face post-Bush. That’s why the Rs will make sure that a real neocon is in place as VP so the Bush/Cheney legacy can continue. And if McCain doesn’t voluntarily leave they may consider other options.

  • I have to agree with ‘JRS Jr’ and ‘Caster Troy’

    There probably were several cases that the Republicans deserved McCain’s wrath.

    Don’t you think that Domenici, Grasley and Cornyn deserved every bit of it. They are the worst of the worst, when it comes to politics. McCain was on to them, and told them what he thought about it.

    It’s too bad that he’s lost it and no longer resembles the candidate he was in 1999 – 2000

    I guess that temper is something for the Democratic nominee to ‘tease’ out during the debates.

  • McCain’s platform seems to be just as Pat Buchanan described it, one of incompetance about the economy and foreign policy. More wars means no diplomacy. Loss of jobs means no effort in office. How can anyone win on a platform of “I suck”? Only in America would people be so gullible.

  • Sad thing is he’s such a likeable guy – back in 2000 I was briefly a McCaniac for the Maverick Senator, back when Dems-are-not-that-different-from-Reps could be uttered w/ a straight face. 7 years, a Bob Jones U visit, and televised hugs of the narrow-minded bible bangers he used to decry, though…

    Anyhow – the angry outbursts could be seen by many as evidence of “straight talk,” and if he gets the nomination, it’ll be difficult for Hillary or Obama to use that against him. For better or worse, we’ve become a Jerry Springer nation, and f-bombs and vulgarity are probably an asset nowadays. If they take him to task on it and they’ll just come across as prissy sissified wusses

  • I tend to agree with those who detect a streak of mental instability in the Senator. But I am less concerned about foul language or seemingly irrational outbursts of temper. What bothers me is the smiling at exceedingly odd times often accompanied by bright, glistening eyes. I think it very likely that the Senator indeed suffers from PTSD. But what concerns me is not the possibility of a mood disorder but rather that he may have a thought disorder: He is certainly delusional about the war.

    I don’t think that mental disability should automatically disqualify anyone from the Presidency, however. We’ve survived seven years of a megalomaniacal cretin and before that, eight years of a manipulative narcissist. I think the Senator could serve as President with proper medication. Lots of medication. Lots and lots and lots of medication.

  • The Democrats are really helping him get the nomination, at which point you will see a host of reasons why he is NOT electable, his physical fitness, temper, admitting he dosen’t know how everything runs in the private sector. If McCain gets the nomination you can kiss the white house good by, our way of life as we know it good by etc, etc, etc. The republic for which it stands will be forever removed.

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