McCain nearly blows his top during Des Moines Register interview

Republican presidential candidate John McCain sat down with the editorial board for the Des Moines Register for an interview on September 30th. In this interview, we see a John McCain that is surly, hard-edged, and mean. Here is the full interview from the Des Moines Register.

And here is John McCain defending his Straight Talk Express. From YouTube:



And here is what The Politico's Jonathan Martin said of McCain's performance during the interview:

An emphatic, combative and at times surly John McCain today tangled with the Des Moines Register editorial board over his running mate, the nature of his campaign and whether he can appreciate the health care needs of Americans.

The paper posted a series of clips from the session on their website.

It's a hard-edged McCain that is rarely seen on film

Facing questions from liberal-leaning editors -- though ones that endorsed his candidacy before the caucuses -- McCain offered a robust defense of Sarah Palin.

"So, with due respect, I strongly disagree with your premise that she doesn't have experience and knowledge and background," McCain said after listing Palin's qualifications. "I fundamentaly disagree and I'm proud of her record."

After touting Palin further, McCain seemed to realize he may have been coming on too strong.

"And, by the way," McCain began before saying, "I'll stop there."

"But you and I just have a fundamental disagreement and I'm so happy that the American people seem to be siding with me," he said.

When it was pointed out that there were some doubts about Palin's experience, even among conservative Republicans, McCain replied sarcastically: "Really? I haven't detected that."

He portrayed conservative critics of Palin as those hailing from the "Georgetown cocktail party" set.

If you just listen to McCain's answers from this interview, you can just hear the anger and sarcasm that McCain has against Barack Obama, the Democrats, the Des Moines Register editorial board, and perhaps even the American people. It is a hard edge of McCain that you do not see during the campagin-controlled stump speeches and rallies.

Then there was this interesting detail from McCain's interview:



What the frickin' heck? If I were a dictator of which I always aspired to be? I don't want a dictator as president--we've already seen one dictator sitting in the White House, so we don't need another. And here is John McCain, claiming that he aspired to become a dictator.

I could only sit through 30 minutes of the McCain interview, before turning it off. John McCain is just scary, when considering that he could be elected president. His entire domestic and foreign policy is a third term continuation of the Bush administration--more tax cuts to the rich and government deregulation for corporations. John McCain would bomb Iran. John McCain is a warmonger, who would continue the 100-year U.S. war in Iraq. John McCain would love to send us back to the good ole Cold War days with Russia. And the inexperienced, and corrupt, Sarah Palin would still be a heartbeat away from the presidency. John McCain is just not qualified to be president of this country. He is too old for the office, not as intelligent or sharp than he was, and is too hot-tempered and angry to be in office. That makes him a scary candidate in just what impulsive, and disastrous, direction McCain could send this country into.