The Standup Comedy of John McCain

Amusement of an audience is a gift that often keeps on giving. Senator John McCain seems to be very comfortable on the move and is gifted with theatric gestures beyond compare. He has the touch of misstated comedy and would look at home at the Apollo. Show business is tough though. Is John McCain applying for the comedy circuit or is something more tragic at work?

The latest in comedy stylings is Senator McCain’s reference to the extinct nation of Czechoslovakia for the last two days. The repetition of the Czech Republic in his oration appears to have left the press sympathetic as McCain marches boldly forward in his conquest of the White House, tilting at political windmills.

John McCain’s suggestion that “five Nobel laureates and 300 economists” agree that his economic plan will allow him to balance the budget might cross the minds of many cynical Americans as the stuff of comedy. “He’s not going to balance the budget. No one’s going to balance the budget.” The fact that President Bush and Congress have handily created a nearly 10 trillion dollar national budget deficit that enslaves this nation to the central banking community virtually guarantees an upward spending spiral, especially since John McCain is known to support plenty of Congressional largesse. It all in the vote. The only way out of the national debt is continued slavery coupled with dutiful interest payments or national bankruptcy. Now, that is the stuff of comedy.

His line, “Only a fool or a fraud talks tough or romantically about war,” is one to be remembered as he falls into his own word trap. Having the audacity to spit out this one-liner is unheralded by few: “High health care costs are bad!”. His capacity for innocent understatement is proving to be legendary.

John McCain has worked hard to defuse the “age card” that media pundits continue to play. He has even joked with Saturday Night Live in a move that only Hillary Clinton could top. His propensity for humor even reaches to completing the lines of reporters.

Reporter: We’ve learned that exports to Iran increased by tenfold during the Bush Administration, the biggest export was cigarettes.” As the reporter stumbled, McCain quipped “Maybe that’s the way of killing them. (chuckles) I meant that as a joke.”

Speaking off the cuff with facts in tow is not John McCain’s strength. Yet, the strength of accuracy, not perfection, is exactly what is needed during a presidential election and for the nation’s president.

“I don’t claim that I won’t misspeak on occasion, but I will correct it immediately,” said McCain. That statement hasn’t proved to be true either. While nit picking is the stuff of media politics and paparazzi, making a false claim and then making it again is the opposite of the correcting it immediately. His words are the opposite of straight talk. Perhaps, John McCain needs better researchers. Unhappily, whether he can manage to remember all the facts is open for debate. America needs a candidate with character to be certain, but a sharp mind in these troubled times is an essential. The nation deserves to elect a president that can make it through an elected term.