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.<\/p>\n
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?<\/a>”<\/p>\n 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?<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n 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. […]<\/p>\n [I]t seems McCain goes ballistic on anyone who disagrees with him. And he’s not just verbally abusive, but physically threatening.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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? 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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\nInvestor’s Business Daily brought up the Reagan comparison.<\/p>\n