McCain is from Mars.

This should be McCain's theme song:

I knew a candidate was a big war hero

back in 1965

He could crash that jet boy,

Make you look like a fool boy

Saw him the other night at this weinerschnitzel restaurant

I was walking in, he was walking out

We went back inside sat down had a few drinks

but all he kept talking about was

Chorus:

Glory days well they'll pass you by

Glory days in the wink of a Obama's eye

Glory days, glory days

Now I think I'm going down Minnesota tonight

and I'm going to drink till I get my fill

And I hope when I get old like McCain I don't sit around thinking about it

but I probably will

Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture

a little of the glory of, well time slips away

and leaves you with nothing mister but

boring stories of glory days

I am really disappointed by the total lack of class shown by McCain this campaign.  Everything is snark with him.

Certainly the McCain running for president, jobeek.

yes, but what has McCain done for us lately?

The "premature victory lap" snark could have been written by our own Jamie Kirchik.

bone, I agree, he ran a much better primary than a general. I think he ran more to the left in the primary than he is now, which is completely against what I would have expected. It is like he is trying to replicate Bush's 2004 victory by playing to the Republican base. And his speechmaking ability seems to be getting worse and worse. Now he is just resentment and snark. As I said before, he needs to seriously retune, start to enjoy himself and stop obsessing about Obama. If he is relying on PUMA's or racists to win this is going to be a long campaign.

Everyday McCain and his campaign become nastier, pettier and more small-minded and yet he seemingly remains competitive in most polls.  Doesn't make sense.

Ahh, but "snark" registers well with the Reagan Democrats. Its all in McCain's master plan to score points with the home team, and put on the good show for the swing voters who will decide the election.

GSpinks, I am a swing voter who is turned off by this shit. Look at Reagan, did he ever play any of this shit? The snarkiest thing Reagan said was "there you go again" in response to Mondale, and the harshest was "I paid for this microphone" both of which played far better than this utter bullshit by McCain. Where the hell is the McCain that used to go on the Daily Show?

i'm a swing voter. It isn't working for me.

Ich Bin Ein Swing Voter! *<8-)

I know what you mean, Blackton and scire. But considering the game at this point for McCain is to keep the hard-liners happy enough while pulling in the swing vote, its the best reason I can see to play his cards the way he's played them.

Otherwise, I have to wonder if he is actually trying to culture an image as a bitter, old coot.

"Where the hell is the McCain that used to go on the Daily Show?"

His chief of staff is Rove's protege, so they're using the "other" Republican playbook right now...

Too right, blackton. Reagan (and Clinton, and Obama) were able to say some pretty harsh things about and even directly to their opponents without seeming like bullies. I remember in particular being blown away by the directness, but also the good grace, of Reagan's attack on the congressional budget process in his 1988 State of the Union:

"You had three hours - yes, three hours - to consider each, and it took 300 people at my Office of Management and Budget just to read the bill so the government wouldn't shut down. Congress shouldn't send another one of these. No and if you do, I will not sign it."

It was direct and accusatory and absolutely firm, but it had the tone of a parent who's disappointed, not angry, rather than the tone of a bully who's just given the freshman a wedgie.

There has been absolutely no such grace or good humor to McCain's attacks.