You know, I'm not sure if I feel bad for John McCain or not.
That's not a put-down. It's just that in recent days, I've been thinking about his visit to York County in August, and my brief ride on the Straight Talk Express, which I decribed in greater detail in an earlier posting.
I was among a small group of reporters who got to interview him aboard his campaign bus.
I was looking forward to it. Regardless of whether or not you supported him for president, you have to acknowledge that he's an intelligent and fascinating guy. And when I'd met him briefly a couple of years ago during a press conference at Todd Platts' house, he seemed likeable, too.
From what I've read, the pre-presidential campaign John McCain was the type of Washington figure that journalists like to interview. He had a reputation for being honest and straightforward, and reporters respect that.
But the conversation aboard the Straight Talk Express was not a pleasant one. It wasn't contentious; just awkward and strained. McCain's whole demeanor was starkly different from when I'd met him before. He came across as short, crabby and humorless. He just seemed to want to get the whole thing over with as soon as possible.
From reading subsequent interviews, I learned it wasn't just me. Many national reporters, some of whom had a working relationship with McCain for years, complained that he turned surly and uncommunicative on the campaign trail.
A lot of politicians seem to take genuine delight in lengthy discussions of policy. I remember reading that Bill Clinton's handlers always had difficulty getting him to events on time, because he'd stand around all day and discuss politics with the public or the press if somebody didn't step in and move him along.
Granted, that's not everybody's style. And being a walking bundle of sunshine isn't necessarily a prerequisite for effective political leadership.
But what struck me about McCain on that brief bus ride was that he did not seem to be enjoying himself at all.
Maybe it shouldn't be surprising. Running a campaign at any level can be a discouraging and exhausting experience for anyone, let alone someone his age.
I can't help but speculate that it went beyond that, though. McCain always seemed to relish his role as "the maverick." He tried to maintain it during the presidential race, in large part to distance himself from the Bush campaign.
The thing is, can you really be the maverick, and be in charge at the same time? Can you maintain that mindset in a modern presidential campaign, where consultants and advisors must minutely analyze virtually every public utterance before it passes the candidate's lips?
The cool kid in high school who wears a leather jacket and talks back to the teachers may impress the hell out of everybody, but he's never going to get elected class president.
So I wonder if McCain's evident bad mood aboard the bus was simply a product of being obliged to play a role that didn't fit him well.
Everything you describe is exactly what I saw in the man throughout most of the campaign, and based on the outcome of the election, I wasn't the only voter who did so. People got so hung up on his prisoner of war and military service, neither of which automatically equates into a leadership role or presidential material. He really cooked his goose with the selection of Sarah Palin as a running mate. The last few months of the campaign I knew already this man had no chance of ever becoming president of the United States and it goes back to what you've wtitten in your post.