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from: Franklin Foer

John McCain, Cosmic Jokester

Posted Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1999, at 5:00 PM ET

Margo,

First Prudie, then America. If McCain can win over the hearts of readers sitting in Harvard Square, then I suppose he has a prayer.

What you and Kurtz say about McCain rings true. Last week, I trailed McCain to a town-hall meeting in New Hampshire. If he had a big band and a chubby sidekick, you would have mistaken his speech for the opening monologue of a late-night talk show. Here's an excerpt from my notebook:

I'd like to introduce some of the people we have with us here today. ... Yes, there's Mr. Dan Rather of CBS News. Could you stand up? If any of you have any problems with socialist, pinko commie bias of his news organization, you know where to take up your complaints. ... Is there anyone here from the Army? We won't hold that against you.

Every line is a wisecrack. And it's delivered in a deadpan style that seems clearly borrowed from Johnny Carson. Much of it is a gallows sense of humor. He is somebody who has seen the worst of life and knows that much of the garbage he deals with in Washington is a part of a cosmic joke. All of which leads me to believe that reporters have been asking the wrong question about McCain. We have had presidents with tempers before, but have we ever had a president who is this glib? Bob Dole certainly considered his campaign a joke, and Lincoln had an ability to laugh off problems. But at the end of the day, Lincoln was a somber guy and Dole was a horrible candidate. Being president is a serious business, and I wonder if it's wise to install a jokester as leader of the free world. ("Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall and remove that splotch!") Perhaps the answer is yes. I am undecided on the matter.

Meanwhile, the National Review online is reporting that a Dean Acheson anecdote McCain has been telling in debates is wrong. (Someone's research team must have been working overtime on that one.) "Candor" and "accuracy" are apparently not synonymous.

So Prudie, give us a book report and tell us, who's smarter: W. or Esther Williams?

M. Honey

the breakfast table
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from: Franklin Foer

John McCain, Cosmic Jokester

Posted Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1999, at 5:00 PM ET
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Margo Howard is "Dear Prudence," Slate's advice columnist. Franklin Foer, a former Slate staff writer, writes about politics for U.S. News & World Report.
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