While in California to pick up the endorsement of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, John McCain was a guest on the Tonight Show.
It was Republican night!
Jay Leno always sucks up to McCain. Introducing him, Leno said his rebounding from a DOA campaign was an "amazing story."
McCain was clearly relaxed. He had the glow of a front-runner. He seemed positively buoyant. There was no trace of the angry, expletive-spewing McCain. It was all jovial Mr. Nice Guy.
He started with a lawyer joke, following the "lawyers telling lawyer jokes" bit that Leno had done in the segment before McCain came out.
Referring to the state of his campaign months ago, McCain quoted Chairman Mao, "It's always darkest before it's totally black."
Leno said that it wasn't a good idea to quote Mao while campaigning to be President of the United States.
McCain talked about being in Iraq with his friend Lindsey Graham. To cheers, he said, "We're winning."
Then, it was on to global warming. "Climate change is real in my view."
He said that "The Terminator" believes that, too. Apparently, Leno's audience must skew toward believers in man-made global warming.
McCain brought up that Chuck Norris said he was too old.
He said, "Schwarzenegger's gonna take care of him."
It seemed like McCain had a good deal of prepared material that he wanted to get out.
After a commercial break, Leno mentioned that McCain and Mitt Romney were a little "snippy" during the debate.
About Romney, McCain said, "Well, it got a little rough. I understand that we're getting near the end here. And I think we've got some momentum. Governor Schwarzenegger, the governor of Florida, Charlie Crist..."
Leno asked, "Do you like Romney?"
McCain responded, "Oh, yeah. I think he's a very fine family man. I think he's a good man. I just think I'm obviously more qualified. So we got some momentum..."
The audience interrupted him with cheers.
"So, it got a little rough; but you try to avoid that as much as you can."
McCain gave a shout-out to the man he owes at least some of his success. He said, "This guy Governor Huckabee is a good guy. He really is. He's a good sincere person."
McCain also mentioned Fred Thompson.
Gee, Ron Paul must feel slighted. He gets no respect, no respect at all.
Leno brought up "conservative radio, Rush Limbaugh especially," saying that the Republican Party is dead if McCain gets the nomination.
Leno asked, "Would you go on his show if he invited you?"
McCain claimed, "I'd go on most any show if I was invited."
Not true. NOT TRUE.
Now it will be tough for McCain to dodge going on some of the talk radio shows that he's been avoiding.
When Leno asked about McCain's choice for the VP, he quipped about Leno's contract being up.
Seemed like a rehearsed joke to me.
Talking about the War on Terror, looking straight at the audience, McCain said, "My friends, I'll get Osama bin Laden. I'll get him, as President of the United States. I will."
Oh, really?
That sounds like a "Read my lips, no new taxes" line.
Leno brought up the age issue and Reagan. McCain joked about running in all thirteen states.
Leno then asked, "How important is the Rudy Giuliani endorsement?"
"Well, Rudy Giuliani is one of the great American heroes...
"Why don't you ask Rudy? Why don't you ask Rudy?"
On cue, enter Rudy.
Leno feigned surprise.
McCain moved over and Rudy took the chair next to the desk.
It was immediately time for a commercial break.
Leno asked Giuliani, "Can you stick around? Can you stay?"
Giuliani said he could and they cut to commercial.
That was possibly the least spontaneous televised moment of the 2008 campaign to date.
Leno said that a lot of Republicans think "you guys are too liberal."
McCain and Giuliani laughed.
Giuliani answered that it depends on how you define "conservative," and concluded that both he and McCain are conservative.
"Conservative" and "Reagan" were probably said more often in the three segments than any other words. I assume that wasn't accidental.
Leno asked Giuliani what accounted for his downfall in the race.
Giuliani said it had a lot to do with what a great campaign McCain ran.
When Giuliani endorses he really endorses.
He also said his strategy of skipping the early primaries didn't work.
McCain said, "It was also an honorable campaign." Applause, of course. It was a love fest.
Leno asked Giuliani, "Would you ever be a running mate?"
Giuliani said, "No one runs for running mate." I took that to mean, "Hell, yeah!"
Leno turned to McCain and asked, "Who would you rather campaign against... Hillary or Obama?"
McCain said both were formidable.
McCain rambled on, "The fact that I am a conservative and I think in tune with most of the American people, and we'll have a conservative Republican against a liberal Democrat, and that will be a respectful but very, very spirited debate."
Giuliani chimed in, "On John's behalf though, John is a conservative. But John also has the ability to reach out, as a number of these primaries have shown, to independent voters and Democratic voters. And it makes him a candidate in states that other Republicans might not be a competitive candidate..."
There certainly was an effort to advertise that McCAIN IS A CONSERVATIVE.
Last question:
Leno wanted to know, "Who do you got in the Super Bowl?"
Giuliani naturally went with New York.
McCain noted that Arizona is the host and squirmed a bit. "Straight talk: Somebody's gonna have to show me how you beat the Patriots."
Giuliani asked, "Will you give me the points?"
McCain laughed, "Yes, I'll give you the points."
Then they left, with handshakes and embraces all around.
One thing that was noticeable though not necessarily noteworthy:
Both Leno and Giuliani were wearing flag pins. McCain wasn't.
Maybe the no flag pin is meant to appeal to independents and Dems, make him seem less Right-wing. Or, maybe he doesn't like to wear his conservativism on his lapel. Or, maybe he lost it.
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