A History of Abuse

Last week, we all got a pretty good look at the reality of John McCain's opinion of Barack Obama. During the debate, McCain was surly, condescending and petty, to say nothing of outright disrespectful in his refusal to even look Obama in the eye.

But lest you think that this little Colonel Nathan Jessup routine -- making sure no one can ever mistake his utter disdain for anyone who asks him to justify his actions -- is something recently cultivated, take a look at this rather startling correspondence between McCain and Obama regarding Senate ethics reform measures.

It's more than two-and-a-half years old:

Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain Exchange Letters on Ethics Reform

If I were in a joking mood, I'd say that I can practically picture McCain dictating his part of the above correspondence to some poor lackey in his Senate office: "I can call that uppity little prick a son-of-a-bitch, right? Who the fuck does he think he's messing with? And WHERE THE HELL'S MY GODDAMNED OATMEAL?!" Instead though, all I can muster is offense; it's literally offensive that someone of McCain's stature and position can behave so childishly, particularly in an official capacity. McCain sounds like what he apparently is: a pissed-off, slighted old man. His letter reads like the kind of thing a snide and bitter ex-lover might write in a huff to the one who dumped him.

It's just not the behavior you'd expect -- no, demand -- from a fucking United States Senator.

At what point does this kind of outrageous and ill-tempered crap become acceptable from our leaders? And is this sort of erratic behavior -- the kind of short-fused, hyper-sarcastic temperament -- that we want representing this country in the White House and around the world?

I guess this must be what makes John McCain a "maverick" -- he doesn't care about propriety or any of that carefully thought-out civility stuff.

He just responds to situations by doing or saying the first thing that comes to mind.

And when you're his age, who the hell knows what that's gonna be from one minute to the next.