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"Boy" Alert
Last week we discussed how the case of Kentucky Rep. Geoff Davis, who referred to Barack Obama as “that boy,” might serve as a cautionary tale for John McCain. If McCain’s age becomes an issue in the general—and it no doubt will—we figure it’s not inconceivable that the word boy could inadvertently slip out.
Apparently we were onto something. Here’s McCain adviser and long-time confidant Mark Salter responding to Sunday’s Washington Post piece on McCain’s temperament:
… I told [the piece’s author, Michael Leahy] that McCain hadn't lost his temper at all. McCain routinely refers to people and colleagues as "boy." He does to me, to Lindsey Graham, Joe Lieberman, and almost everybody. It's like saying hey, buddy. He means nothing by it. Renzi was relatively new to Congress, and got upset when McCain refered to him in this completely innocuous way. … [Emphasis added]
I doubt the “buddy” defense would hold much water if Obama was on the receiving end.
About Christopher Beam
- Christopher Beam is a Slate political reporter.
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