There's a theme that recurs in your books and your speeches, both about putting country first but also about honor. I wonder if you could define honor for us?
Read it in my books.

Translation: I know it's in the books because the guy who wrote my books told me he put in there. Since I didn't really write them (or read them), I'm not exactly sure what he wrote, and I don't want to get caught saying something different than that guy who wrote my books.

Pretty scary. At some parts in the interview he seems to zone out. Makes me wonder about a little incipient dementia. Or maybe he's just old and cranky.

These days he isn't a very happy warrior, and he doesn't seem to be what we need to repair the damage done by Bush/Cheney.

He's so scared, maybe Obama should throw him a curve. Offer him a whole bunch of town meetings, like he used to be begging for. Maybe people would ask him how many cars, airplanes and boats he has!!

John McCain is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.

He doesn't campaign as much any more. He can't define honor but says "read my books." He can't remember how many houses he owns. He is giving increasingly prickly answers.

Either he is in the early stages of dementia or the later stages of gut wrenching fear of making his handlers mad.

Somebody needs to find out if the Rovettes are using enhanced interrogation techniques when they prepare him for an interview.

That is one effed up interview.
The reporter even laughs at McCains new demeanor in the middle, and McCain just ignores it like a wooden dummy.

If this is what he thinks the cost of winning is, I'm surprised he'd want to pay it.

Let this be a lesson to the press: He is nakedly trying to use you to manipulate the electorate.

Don't accept his non-answers without labeling them as such.

Keep making the bastard "prickly" with probing questions; that anger is the real John McCain trying to break free from the grasp of the dark side.

OnusBone is on to something. Is there still a half-decent human being trapped in there?

McCain was, at one time, a decent man, or at least he convincingly played one in public. Now he can't even pretend. It's just sad, for McCain personally, and for all of us if he becomes president.

He's terrified of going off message because he's no longer sure what the message is. The press would be better off interviewing Karl Rove to find out what McCain thinks about an issue. Obama should repeat this incessantly.

Some needs to explore the Thimbletack/McCain link. The resemblance in looks and behavior is uncanny.

Yea, its sad but its also working, and will continue to work unless network broadcasting starts to tell the truth. Jeff S, its not fear of losing OR incipient dementia, its likely both. The print press (at least the part that is not also in incipient dementia, i.e. Broder) is beginning to get the idea - Klein, Alter, and now Carney are have been willing to start to point gingerly toward reality, but with Tom Brokaw (McCain was a POW, fer gawds' sake!) and Bob Schieffer (let me tell you why I think the old days were better!) conducting two of the three debates, I'm not too optimistic.

Bush was endlessly criticized for not being able to come up with a mistake. When asked a similar question, McCain refused to answer. I wonder if the press will notice.

As OnusBone points out, the "Do I know you? [Says with a laugh.]" question (square brackets in the original) and McCain's non-humorous non-response was priceless.

Shorter John McCain: I was a P.O.W. motherfucker. Where are my fucking sprinkles you worthless cunt!?

speaking of the Manchurian Candidate, was I the only one thinking that every time Senator Kerry referred to "Candidate McCain"?

McCain vs. the GOP:

1. Scared to say anything that his party doesn't want him to say?

2. His dignity and integrity compromised to gain the White House?

3. "Maverick" status brought to heel by the promise of the Oval Office and its perks?

4. The candidate for the highest office of the land is at odds with his own party's newly written platform.

5. His face on the box while yet again, a corrupt power-hungry bunch of greedy bastards control him, and the power, from the backseat just like Bush?

6. The same machinations to put McCain in the White House as used to put Bush in the White House, predictable, destructive, and downright corrupt means used right in front of a mute media and purposefully blind mainstream Republicans.

7. No authenticity, no transparency, no real ethics or morals or honest reflection of all the God-touting conservatives do.

8. Continue to blame liberals for ruining this country, without presenting any options for saving it themselves.

It really scares me that McCain won't be the Republican candidate in November, replaced suddenly by a sharper tack. Rethugs can do anything they want. (It was in the copy of the Constitution that that they burned. Ask 'em, they'll tell you.)

A: I'm prepared to be President of the United States, and I'll put my country first.

After Mexico and Israel, that is.

"A: I'm prepared to be President of the United States, and I'll put my country first."

OMG! This man is more inspiring than Abraham Lincoln!

On the brighter side, there could hardly be a more ideal person to run against the first black candidate for President. Only the most hard-core racists could vote for him without vomiting.

He's dumber than Bush, if such is possible. At least we can be amused by W's fumblings. McCain's dementia ain't even funny.

"A: I'm prepared to be President of the United States, and I'll put my country first."

OMG! This man is more inspiring than Abraham Lincoln!

On the brighter side, there could hardly be a more ideal person to run against the first black candidate for President. Only the most hard-core racists could vote for him without vomiting.

He's dumber than Bush, if such is possible. At least we can be amused by W's fumblings. McCain's dementia ain't funny.

Kevin --

Anonymous plagiarized my post!

Banish him forthwith!

Boo-hoo-hoo....

What's John McCain hiding? I'm betting he's getting nervous that too much talk about his POW years will start people asking questions about it.

http://hope2012.wordpress.com/2008/07/26/songbird-mccain-the-evidence-in-his-own-words-his-fellow-veterans-and-his-captors/

You really must listen to the full interview to appreciate the full impact of McCain's flat affect and the dull robotic quality to the repetitive answers. Many questions were left out of the print version, and others were changed.

His answer regarding the situation in Iraq was the following hair raiser: "Iraq is a peaceful and stable country now."

Having listened to it, it's even more disturbing to know that the press is refusing to discuss McCain's problems.