McCain: A Question of Temperament

John McCain Admits He Has A Temper, But Opinions Differ On How Much Of A Liability It Might Be

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Michael Leahy.

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John McCain cupped a fist and began pumping it, up and down, along the side of his body. It was a gesture familiar to a participant in the closed-door meeting of the Senate committee who hoped that it merely signaled, as it sometimes had in the past, McCain's mounting frustration with one of his colleagues.

But when McCain leaned toward Charles E. Grassley and slowly said, "My friend..." it seemed clear that ugliness was looming: While the plural "my friends" was usually a warm salutation from McCain, "my friend" was often a prelude to his most caustic attacks. Grassley, an Iowa Republican with a reputation as an unwavering legislator, calmly held his ground. McCain became angrier, his fist pumping even faster.

It was early 1992, and the occasion was an informal gathering of a select committee investigating lingering issues about Vietnam War prisoners and those missing in action, most notably whether any American servicemen were still being held by the Vietnamese. It is unclear precisely what issue set off McCain that day. But at some point, he mocked Grassley to his face and used a profanity to describe him. Grassley stood and, according to two participants at the meeting, told McCain, "I don't have to take this. I think you should apologize."

McCain refused and stood to face Grassley. "There was some shouting and shoving between them, but no punches," recalls a spectator, who said that Nebraska Democrat Bob Kerrey helped break up the altercation.

Grassley said recently that "it was a very long period of time" before he and McCain spoke to each other again, though he declined, through a spokesman, to discuss the specifics of the incident.

Since the beginning of McCain's public life, the many witnesses to his temper have had strikingly different reactions to it. Some depict McCain, now the presumptive Republican nominee for president, as an erratic hothead incapable of staying cool in the face of what he views as either disloyalty to him or irrational opposition to his ideas. Others praise a firebrand who is resolute against the forces of greed and gutlessness.

"Does he get angry? Yes," said Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, a Connecticut independent who supports McCain's presidential bid. "But it's never been enough to blur his judgment....If anything, his passion and occasional bursts of anger have made him more effective."

Former Senator Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican, expresses worries about McCain: "His temper would place this country at risk in international affairs, and the world perhaps in danger. In my mind, it should disqualify him."

A spokesman for McCain's campaign said he would be unavailable for an interview on the subject of his temper. But over the years, no one has written more intimately about McCain's outbursts than McCain himself. "My temper has often been both a matter of public speculation and personal concern," he wrote in a 2002 memoir. "I have a temper, to state the obvious, which I have tried to control with varying degrees of success because it does not always serve my interest or the public's."

That temper has followed him throughout his life, McCain acknowledges. He recalls in his writings how, as a toddler, he sometimes held his breath and fainted during moments of fury. As the son of a naval officer who was on his way to becoming a four-star admiral, McCain found himself frequently uprooted and enrolled in new schools, where, as an underappreciated outsider, he developed "a little bit of a chip on my shoulder," as he recalled this month.

During a campaign stop at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, the most famous graduate of the Class of 1954 opened a window on what swirled inside him during his school years. "I was always the new kid and was accustomed to proving myself quickly at each new school as someone not to be challenged lightly," he told students.

"As a young man, I would respond aggressively and sometimes irresponsibly to anyone who I perceived to have questioned my sense of honor and self-respect. Those responses often got me in a fair amount of trouble earlier in life."

He defied authority, ridiculed other students, sometimes fought. The nicknames hung on him at Episcopal mocked his hair-trigger feistiness: "Punk" and "McNasty." Hoping to emulate his father and grandfather, also an admiral, he went on to the Naval Academy, where his pattern of unruliness and defiance continued, landing him near the bottom of his class. "I acted like a jerk," McCain wrote of the period before he righted himself to become a naval aviator, a Vietnam POW and eventually a career politician.

The trajectory of his temper, studied ever more intently as his White House ambitions took shape, includes incidents from his years in the House and in the Senate, leading up to the early days of his current presidential campaign. In 2007, during a heated closed-door discussion with Senate colleagues about the contentious immigration issue, he angrily shouted a profanity at a fellow Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, an incident that quickly found its way into headlines.

Reports recently surfaced of Rep. Rick Renzi, an Arizona Republican, taking offense when McCain called him "boy" once too often during a 2006 meeting, a story that McCain aides confirm while playing down its importance. "Renzi flared and he was prickly," McCain strategist Mark Salter said. "But there were no punches thrown or anything."

[abbe91]

"I guess a temper is only a negative if you''re a republican.
Posted by katg21 at 01:36 PM : Apr 22, 2008"

It''s only negative if you confuse Al-Qaeda with Chi''ites, Iraq with Mexico and the USS Forrestal with a bowling track.

[katg21]

I seem to remember hearing that Hillary has quite a temper, what about Howard Dean...WHO CARES!!! I guess a temper is only a negative if you''re a republican.

[leftyintexas]

"Does he get angry? Yes," said Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, a Connecticut independent who supports McCain''s presidential bid. "But it''s never been enough to blur his judgment....If anything, his passion and occasional bursts of anger have made him more effective."

Yeah, like we believe anything coming from your pie hole, Joe.

[abbe91]

"retired a full colonel (20+ years)
* Posted by trapbreak at 09:26 AM : Apr 21, 2008
Wasn''t McCain in the navy?
Posted by LibH8er at 03:45 PM : Apr 21, 2008"

Indeed ... they were so happy after he trashed 5 planes (one only in combat) that they made him the only colonel in the US Navy history ever.

[watcher269-2009]

Yes,just what we need in the Whitehouse these days. A loose canon with his hand on the button.

Posted by kansas1946

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That''s the point with McCain - you don''t know where his hands are!

At least with Bill Clinton - you knew where his hands were - on interns - Female ones.

Not like Bush and Cheney - I remember reading that Bush FARTS in front of his interns to see their reactions.

I can''t imagine what Cheney does to his!

I know one thing - I wouldn''t shake hands with McCain - he probably had his hands in his Depends.

[watcher269-2009]

McCain supports the Bushit/Cheney military decision to:

Strained by the demands of a long war, the Army and the Marine Corps recruited significantly more felons into their ranks in 2007 than in 2006, including people convicted of armed robbery, arson and burglary, according to data ...

McCain supports giving Felons GUNS!

McShame supports Arming Felons with the latest military technologies so when the come back to the States - they can use them against us!

McSame supports teaching Felons how to kill Iraqis at first - then the felons will come home - find out there are no jobs or health-Care for them and the FELONS will start killing YOU to get what they want and need!

A Vote for McSAME is a vote for higher Crime rates in the United States!

Vote for Trained Killer Felons - Vote McCain!

[cfin5]

Any of our Presidents should have a "Don''t tread on me" attitude towards any nation/sect/group/individual who would do me harm. A foolish man is slow to pick a fight with a hot tempered individual. Especially one with the biggest stick in the valley. All he has to do is a few public "stunts" with a foreign policy theme to seed the rep,.....then say nothing at all regarding said policy and blink at nothing. It''s called being the LEADER.

[lindaredtail]

Kansas 1946 You''re right again. I used to admire him though not always agree with him. The Quakers, Amish, and Shakers of Pennsylvania are all conscientious objectors usually. They are very good people and I''m not surprised that they are for Obama. They would rather negotiate than drop bombs. The Republicans falsely portray themselves as the party of God. They are the party of a particular type of militaristic apocalyptic Christianity that I have a pile of research on my desk that mainstream Christianity rejects. I have research from the Lutheran, Methodist, and Catholic Churches as well as authors and independant researchers. Their "party of God" belief is a false delusion.

[kansas1946]

kansas1946 thank you. I know that I''''m right about Bob Jones. I forget about the Anti-Christ part. Is it rightful for John McCain to associate with someone like that?


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Posted by lindaredtail at 06:42 PM : Apr 21, 2008
+ report abuse
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No, it isn''t. But he is so desparate to look "Christian" enough to the radical-right, that he dances with the devil. It is interesting to note, that the majority of the Quaker community, about as Christ-like a group as you can get, is supporting Barack Obama in Pennsylvania, and almost all of them are supporting which ever Democrat gets the nomination. For a party (Republicans) to scream constantly about being the party of God, it is interesting that the Quakers are supporting Democrats. Maybe these folks can smell hypocties better that the rest of the "Christians."

[obama8years]

Listened to a few soundbites on the News about Obama speaking to a group of Jewish people, telling them how he disagreed with Carter and that we must not negotiate with a known terrorist organization and they applauded him%u2026take that context and recall previous dialogue to an entirely different audience how we need to negotiate with Iran and Syria. So which Obama do you believe?

Let%u2019s face it, anyone that believes Barack is believing in the myth. This man will say and do anything to get elected. What%u2019s sad is that so many people are getting duped and they don%u2019t even know it or refuse to believe it; they are drinkin%u2019 the Kool Aid.

Just like his disrespect for the flag only to plaster his backdrop with wall to wall flags, just like his lame excuse for not wearing an American flag on his lapel and now wearing one after yet another lame attempt to give reason to now feel it appropriate to wear one, and his distancing himself from Rev. Wrong but all the while not really distancing himself at all, and just like his distancing himself from Louis Farrakhan yet showing no discontent for his church giving The Nation of Islam, a lifetime achievement award%u2026just what kind of drug are these people on%u2026

So it%u2019s clear to me, this man%u2019s words are just that, words.

[lindaredtail]

kansas1946 thank you. I know that I''m right about Bob Jones. I forget about the Anti-Christ part. Is it rightful for John McCain to associate with someone like that?

[kansas1946]

How do you figure Bob Jones is a racist and how does McCain ''''hang out'''' with him? Does Bob Jones live in McCain''''s neighborhood? Was Bob Jones a domestic terrorist in the early 70''''s? Does McCain sit on a board with Bob Jones?

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During the 2000 election, the Republican candidates raced off to Bob Jones University, and it brought some unwanted attention to that University. Number one, they had a policy against inter-racial dating amonth their students. I guess the black kids were good enough to pay tuition, but not good enough to date any white kids. Sounds racist to me.

Then, I heard that prior to all of the attention, on the university web-site the the Pope was identified as the anti-Christ.

Of course, once they got all of this negative attention, they, at least on paper, changed their dating policy, and the negative comments about the Catholic church and the Pope disappeared.

This is who John chooses to toady to.

[kansas1946]

Yes,just what we need in the Whitehouse these days. A loose canon with his hand on the button.

[lindaredtail]

libh8er namecalling again. I wouldn''t take McBomb McCain seriously if it were just the song though I probably wouldn''t think it funny. Bombs are not funny even when sung to with Beach Boy music. But McCain''s supporters have been talking about attacking Iran on more than one occasion. It''s not funny to him so it''s not funny to me.

[lindaredtail]

Bob Jones'' rascist statements have been recorded for years and are public knowledge. His university used to forbid in writing any form of inter-racial relationships between his university students. After an uproar it was removed from the written college teachings. But until this day it is still taught there. Bob Jones is an admitted rascist. And so are you. McCain has been to his university more than once. For some reason he has influence in the Republican Party. And tell me do you pick your neighbors? I didn''t have that oppurtunity to pick my neighbors. I don''t know of anyone who does unless they move out of a neighborhood. Should he have? Why? And any kind of rascism is harmful to our society. And what board? A neighborhood board? A political board? Should we do background checks on every person in every board or activity we belong to?

[obama8years]

The object of war is to break an enemy%u2019s will and destroy his capacity to fight. Therefore, a nation divided in wartime is a nation that invited its own defeat. We were attacked , we need to defend ourselves..the radical islamist have state what they wish would happen to all free men including Isreal and America..we need to listen to them,they say what they will do. American citizens have been murdered in this terror war for thirty years. The radical Islamist grievance is our freedom of religion..do you wish to give up your freedom?

Republicans do not enjoy war, but we do have the common sense to know we need to protect our great country. There are many free people around the world counting on us also.

[obama8years]

The Republicans and Democrats voted to go to war.

%u201CDemocrats claim the president had manipulated intelligence about Iraq weapons of mass destruction, and thus the premise of the war. But copies of the National intelligence Estimate on which the president%u2019s decision was based were provided to every Democratic senator who voted for or against the war. The findings were confirmed by government intelligence agencies around the world, including those of France,Britian, Russia,, and Jordan. In other words, President Bush could not have manupulated the intelligence on which the vote was based and the war was actually authorized.%u201D D Horowitz

Democrats harm our country in a time of war by down grading our commander -in chief, while our men and woman are in harms way. In attempting to make the war a sinister plot of the Bush administration they undermine our fight against radicl islamist who first attacked us in the Carter years. Bush said %u201Cyou are either with us or you are against%u201D we need to stand by our president and stop hurting our country by reckless accusations. Saddam had chance after chance to go by his agreement with the UN.

[blackspirit3]

40 YEARS OF CLINTON RAPING WOMEN

A 1969 charge by a Eileen Wellstone, said Clinton assaulted her after she met him at a pub near the Oxford University campus where the future President was a student.
In 1972, a 22-year-old woman told campus police at Yale University that she was sexually assaulted by Clinton, who was a law student at the college.
In 1974, a female student at the University of Arkansas complained that then-law professor Bill Clinton groped her and forced his hand inside her blouse
Broaddrick, a volunteer in Clinton''s attorney general campaign, said he raped her in 1978;
From 1978-1980, Arkansas State troopers assigned to protect the governor reported seven complaints from women who said Clinton forced, or attempted to force, himself on them sexually.
Elizabeth Ward, the Miss Arkansas who won the Miss America crown in 1982, told friends she was forced by Clinton to have *** with him shortly after she won her state crown.
Paula Corbin, an Arkansas state worker, filed a sexual harassment case against Clinton the then-governor exposed himself and demanded oral ***.
Sandra Allen James, President Clinton invited her to his hotel room during a political trip to the nation''s capital in 1991, pinned her against the wall and stuck his hand up her dress.
Kathleen Willey, a White House volunteer, reported that Clinton grabbed her, fondled her breast and pressed her hand against his genitals during an Oval Office meeting in November, 1993.

[libh8er]

Obama will be a weak president catering to the ultra socialist liberals and will make america vulnerable.
Posted by Obama8years at 03:52 PM : Apr 21, 2008

As bad as it would be, I''d like to see them do it. Terrorists will attack major targets. All of the major targets happen to be in bedwetting lib cities; NY, LA, SF. Maybe it will take something like that to get rid of Marxist libs once and for all from this country.

[obama8years]

I would rather have a president that had a temper, than one that caters to the like of Rev Wright and Company.

What kind of America do you want. The kind that caters to the like of rev wright, hamas, black panthers, black value system, ayers, radical Liberal left, Farakahn, ISM. The list goes on.

Why is Hamas Supporting Obama. Why do you think they are. Obama will be a weak president catering to the ultra socialist liberals and will make america vulnerable.