McSame's MTP appearance: it didn't go well

Wow - I have to give credit where credit is due - Tom Brokaw certainly asked some very pointed, tough questions of McCain on Meet the Press on Sunday. To be clear, I think that tough questions should be asked of all the candidates; questions like these and the answers that candidates give are in short supply during most elections.

McCain has given some pretty "out there" answers to some questions over the course of the campaign, but having said that, this interview stands out so much, it's hard to know where to begin.

First, let's begin with the very end of the clip, when McCain says, with a straight face, "I'd be glad to review the Reagan record, but the Reagan record was one that reigned in spending..." [Emphasis Mine] Now I know the video cuts off, but regardless of context, saying something inherently inaccurate like that is pretty breathtaking. The "Reagan record" is anything but one of "reigning in spending" - far from it.

I got a pretty big kick out of McCain's deer in the headlights look after Brokaw showed the clips from 2004 and 2000 that demonstrate McCain's very, very uneven record (and I'm being kind) regarding taxes. I have to confess, as I look at the 2000 footage of McCain talking about taxes, I do so with a bit of longing. I really very well might have voted for that version of McCain, but this version? Never.

Anyway, I think what we can conclude is obvious - McCain's current stance on taxes is borne out of his desire to be president, and to appeal to the GOP "cut taxes at all costs camp - consequences be damned.

Even more telling is McCain's babbling response after Brokaw plays the video - something about flat taxes and different brackets - I really had no idea what he was saying. Like a record that skips, he even calls Brokaw "my friend," which at this point is starting to sound like a punchline.

Even better - during the interview he can't remember the names of the five secretaries of state who have supposedly endorsed him - take a listen...

Just wondering how many more "senior moments" McCain will have if he's elected to lead this country for four years, much less eight? It's not a comforting thought, especially considering his selection as Sarah Palin as his running mate. (Note: I'll have a whole lot more about McCain's age, and his lack of transparency regarding his medical records, a bit later tonight or tomorrow.)

I firmly believe that endorsements don't make too much of a difference in whom one decides to vote for, and I'm not really convinced that Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama will make all that much of a difference, but it does give Obama's foreign policy positions more credibility - this coming from a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Secretary of State and General. By the way, it's always pathetic and sad to hear Limbaugh's race baiting, no matter how many times I listen to it.

And those former secretaries of state? Big deal - all from Republican administrations. And Obama has a few of his own, including Warren Christopher, Madeline Albright, and of course, Colin Powell - and not all Democrats, either.

Funny to hear McCain mention Kissinger, who recently said about America's talking to Iran: "Any direct talks between the U.S. and Iran on issues such as the nuclear dispute would be most likely to succeed if they first involved only diplomatic staff and progressed to the level of secretary of state before the heads of state meet." Oops! That was and is an embarrassment to McCain, who has been babbling about Obama's "meeting without preconditions" statement for months. And don't look now, but even the Bush administration, an administration that has a startlingly low appreciation for diplomacy, has begun low-level talks with the Iranians.

It's a safe bet to say that McCain did himself no favors on Meet the Press this past Sunday.