MSNBC asks 'how big a deal' is McCain's temper
John McCain has been the subject for many years of questions about his "uncontrollable" temper, with even fellow Republican Sen. Thad Cochran suggesting it makes him unfit to be president.
A touch of the McCain temper was on display Tuesday, when a reporter asked him, "In what ways did your experience in Vietnam prepare you for the presidency?" and McCain brusquely replied, "oh, please," and turned away.
In commenting on that reaction, Sen. Cochran told a Mississippi newspaper about an incident in 1987 where McCain grabbed a Nicaraguan envoy "by the shirt collar" during negotiations "and had snatched him up like he was throwing him up out of the chair" -- a story McCain said was "simply not true."
MSNBC's Dan Abrams asked his guests on Wednesday, "How big a deal is this for John McCain?"
White House correspondent April Ryan agreed that, "it's a big deal. ... America wants to know that their president can handle tough situations ... with an even hand and an even mind."
However, MSNBC's Turker Carlson found the whole topic ridiculous. "You've got to be kidding!" he laughed. "Knock it off! That's the dumbest thing I've heard in so long! ... I hope he grabbed that Sandinista official by the face and ground it into the desk. They were monsters! ... I think America wants a president with some backbone!"
"He's running for president of the United States, not Miss Manners," Huffington Post editor Roy Sekoff chimed in. "I mean, suddenly he's going to be disqualified because he gets a little hot under the collar and has a potty mouth?"
"I'm not talking about a potty mouth," retorted Ryan. "I'm talking about someone who will blow a fuse. Do you want that sucker? Hey, have it if you want it."
"I've never seen him blow any fuses," insisted Carlson.
"It's ludicrous," Sekoff agreed.
Dan Abrams then brought up Cindy McCain's lavish spending habits, with recent disclosures showing her running up hundreds of thousands of dollars on her charge cards in a month.
Ryan suggested that the story made McCain look bad at "a time when people are holding their pocketbooks and looking at the possible leader of the free world to make sure they understand their pain."
In this case, Sekoff agreed, saying, "The hypocrisy ... comes when Karl Rove tries to paint Barack Obama as a country club elitist. ... Cindy McCain is the real deal. ... This is not going to go over well with the American people."
This video is from MSNBC's Verdict, broadcast July 2, 2008.
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