DON'T GET SUCKED IN -- HE'S FAKING IT

A lot of people are chuckling about "McCain's Prickly TIME Interview":

...McCain at first seemed happy enough to do the interview. But his mood quickly soured. The McCain on display in the 24-minute interview was prickly, at times abrasive, and determined not to stray off message. An excerpt:

What do you want voters to know coming out of the Republican Convention -- about you, about your candidacy?
I'm prepared to be President of the United States, and I'll put my country first.

There's a theme that recurs in your books and your speeches, both about putting country first but also about honor. I wonder if you could define honor for us?
Read it in my books.

I've read your books.
No, I'm not going to define it.

But honor in politics?
I defined it in five books. Read my books....

Don't fall for this. McCain may have a bad temper, but this is just an act. He wants to be sure there are no new "McCain chats warmly with the press" stories so low-information voters (i.e., people who’ve been in a cone of silence since early 2000) will swallow the line that the “liberal media” hates him, which means he can go to the heartland and say what every Republican presidential candidate since Nixon has said: “Liberals don't like me! Liberals don't like you! I’m just like you and the other guy is just another member of the liberal cabal! So vote for me!”