Awesome.

Sadly, I don't think the news media will let the facts get in their way on this. After all, all veterans (except the Democrats, of course) are loose-cannon warmongering post-traumatic-stress-disordered maniacs just waiting to blow. /sarcasm.

I thought he was going to strangle the protester. With a temper like this, no one is safe!

:-)

That's fine, except that McCain's displays of temper are pretty well-documented and he himself has said he has regretted losing his temper.

McCain has kept his temper pretty well on this campaign trail, but you can't use that and one video clip to erase what is pretty widely known based on his broader career.

I expect better logic than that here. And the swipe about projection was quite unnecessary. Takes one to know one.

I'd be willing to bet that if his blood pressure were monitored during these incidents, it wouldn't rise at all; it might even go down.

Sure, there is a certain "Hannibal Lector" quality to John McCain.

"His pulse never rose above 65, Clarice

Not that that's a bad thing.

Well, "endless war" is unfortunately right. As far back in history as you care to look, one tyrant/group or another has been trying to use force to impose their will upon others or use force to obtain territory or resources. While I will cheerfully concede that the United States has, on occasion, been guilty of similar or identical behavior, I do believe that the scales of justice tilt decidedly in favor of the United States.

What astounds me most is the arrogance of the protestors shouting "endless war." Do they honestly believe they can do anything about it? The world is, always has been, and always will be, a dangerous place. There are people and organizations out there who mean to do us, and freedom, great harm. To pretend otherwise, to pretend that we can just make nice and everything will be jake, is an interesting parlor game. But parlor games are best left in the parlor. That kind of shit doesn't get you very far when you are in the middle of a bar-room brawl.

Diplomacy is all well and good when you are dealing with France or the UK. But when you are dealing with people who have *killed* their way to the top, sweet logical reason seldom carry the day.

His reputation for a temper comes from years of his telling his republican Senate colleagues "F*uck you!" "F*ck off!" and (my favorite) "I'm gonna F*uck you dead!!" The last was the reason that Rick Santorum said that under no circumstances should McCain ever be President.

I always found it curious that there are widespread stories of McCain saying such things to his employees and Republicans, usually in caucus meetings but occasionally on the floor - but never to Democrats. There are no reports of his saying these things to the communists who held him, to terrorists or any of the people that I'd LIKE my representatives to hate with a passion.

Don't get me wrong, I'm voting for him. I think he'll be a disaster, but we can survive a disaster. We - or at least the residents of the large cities - won't survive the catastrophe that is an Obama administration.

One of the requirements for naval aviators, those who fly-off and land upon aircraft carriers and get shot-at by enemy missles, is very steady nerves, not a hair-trigger temper.

I imagine he does have a temper, and he apparently lets it show in calculated private circumstances. He keeps up appearances publicly, even under provocation. Isn't that exactly what we want in a president?

I know people who have hair-trigger temper when caught off-guard by something, but are unflappable when in "on-guard" mode.

I must say. I wondered what he was holding back when he referred to the shouters as "these...[long pause].. people". Probably something extremely offensive to people unfamiliar with military slang :-)

D, in my experience, that "projection" swipe is accurate. You can get a pretty accurate description of a liberal by looking at the insults liberals hurl at conservatives. I know of no group that thinks in more simplistic, black and white, good and evil terms than the crowd that insists they're sophisticed, intelligent and nuanced.

The ability to disagree without being disagreeable may not be universal on the right, but it is unique to the right.

Richard, if McCain only uses this language towards allies he's frustrated with, I would suggest you look for other cues to determine what he hates.

Besides calculated outbursts, which anyone in the Senator's position knows how to use, I imagine that he DOES have a breaking point. But I can't imagine where it might be.

Maybe someone flying hijacked jets into occupied office towers would do it. One might hope it would.

I think McCain's "documented temper" toward fellow Republicans is on par with the way people often display bad temper and are willing to shout at family members - while displaying an even keel in public or at guest gatherings. That is one is frequently willing to let loose on those closest.

He also doesn't like people who will lie to him and then pretend to make nice. Hence the F-bomb dropped on Schumer, who had it coming IMHO.

Whenever I hear these moronic chants, I think of the chickens in Orwell's Animal Farm, squawking "Four legs good, two legs bad!"

Having endured almost eight loooooooong years of the Milquetoast in Chief, I would welcome a show of temper from McCain. Bush has been a pretty efficient doormat for Democrats to wipe their feet on.

And handing Iraq over to al Qaeda after all that has been accomplished and sacrificed - that would anger most normal people. Mccain does not seem to want to stand still for it.