RICHARD MILHOUS McCAIN

McCain's been working on this for a while, but now I think he really has that Nixonian "I'm just like you, Joe Average Man, and the swells are screwing both of us" thing down pat:

"With all the breathless coverage from abroad, and with Senator Obama now addressing his speeches to 'the people of the world,' I'm starting to feel a little left out," Senator John McCain said in a radio address on Saturday. "Maybe you are too."

"I'm starting to feel a little left out. Maybe you are too." That's primal. That's the bitter tone of resentment that got Nixon elected twice. You shouldn't mock it -- it works. In our Bizarro World political climate, it doesn't come off as impotent whining; it comes off as toughness.

(Oh, and since the subject matter here whether Obama is acting prematurely presidential, isn't delivering Saturday radio addresses the kind of thing only presidents do?)

*****

More from the New York Times article linked above:

While Mr. Obama said he knew the risks of "flying too close to the sun," as he put it, his confidence has swelled since he claimed the Democratic nomination early last month. These days, his public statements and news conferences often contain four words -- "in an Obama administration" -- as he settles to find the proper measure of confidence and humility in his pitch to voters.

Oh, that arrogrant, presumptuous Obama. "In an Obama administration"! John McCain would never use a phrase like that!

...Well, maybe "never" is too strong a word:

As McCain has said before, "anyone serving in a McCain administration must commit not to lobby the administration during his presidency."

Yeah, maybe he has talked like this once or twice:

I will ask Democrats to serve in my administration. My administration will set a new standard for transparency and accountability.

Or more than once or twice:

In my administration there will be no more subsidies for special pleaders -- no more corporate welfare -- no more throwing around billions of dollars of the people's money on pet projects, while the people themselves are struggling to afford their homes, groceries, and gas.

And, yeah, I guess there are also those pesky surrogates:

Fiorina: Anything that has to do with achieving energy independence will obviously have a very very high priority in the McCain administration....

But Obama's still the arrogant one because -- well, just because he is!