John McCain is a Spartan. He has Spartan values. Barack Obama is a competitor. In the primaries, McCain treated his other competitors much the same way. Like most Spartan boys, he would fight a competitor, even a member of his own cohort, to the death, in combat, because he assumes that if he did not, his opponent would destroy him.

This 'my friends' is the Spartan way--and it is a very common attitude among career military officers. I was raised by one, a bullet headed Republican, at that, and boy do I know that culture. I was pickled in it. Marinated in it. Nursed and nurtured in it. And I have a sense of visceral opposition to it. But I understand it.

To John McCain, Obama is the Enemy. He doesn't simply want to prevail, he wants to crush him. He wants to annihilate him. That is what you do to the enemy. If he proves he can survive your brutal assualt, then you are supposed to respect him.

KILGORE: "...Any man brave enough to hold his guts in can drink from my canteen any day."

Here is another cipher of John McCain:

KILGORE: "You smell that? Do you smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for twelve hours. When it was all over I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like - victory.

Someday this war is gonna end."

THAT 'My Friends' is Spartan culture for you. It's like my Dad always used to say back in the 60's: "It ain't much of a war, son, but it's the only one we got!"

forget all this character stuff, it's his policies that are the issue.

This is a very good take on McCain's behavior, and how it might influence his policies as Chief Executive. He began the Des Moine Register interview Tuesday by saying how much he would like to be dictator, how such unilateral power could more easily alleviate crises like the financial meltdown. The dictator appetence obviously is a very pronounced part of his ethos - else, why would he constantly mention it? Also, his sneering responses indicate a real contempt for democracy and its actors. Many in the Beltway despise us toiling peasants; few are as overt about it as McCain. He is a strutting cocktail Caesar. Although his arrogant dismissiveness sometimes is merely a screen to evade uncomfortable questions, I think he really sees himself above the small-time hurly-burly of government of, for and by the people.

Or maybe he's flashing to his peeps that he's as annoyed as they should be to be shaking Obama's hand when he should be lifting a drink from Obama's tray.

McCain's turned out to be a jerk under every kind of inspection; maybe racial equality is just another failure lurking beneath the Honor of John McCain.

There may be "royal anger", when something is not exactly as it should be, so it constitutes an insults, and lese majeste cannot stand.

Ordinary mortals are angry because they are insecure. Sure, there are other ways that insecurity can reveal itself in a person's behavior, but nevertheless, it is still insecurity. McCain has plenty of reasons to feel insecure, being of moderate intelligence, moderate height, low physical ability, modest accomplishments, etc. A very intelligent, tall, strong, dexterous, self-assured and calm opponent is exercising all McCain's insecurities.

I think it's shame.
He knows that Obama is a good and decent man. He doesn't have the courage to attack him face to face.

THE 'MONKEY' ANALOGY IS INTERESTING..I HAVE A DOG., A TERRIER...SHE IS FEARLESS...I NOTICE THAT WHEN WE MEET ANOTHER DOG, SHE WILL STAND HER GROUND, NOT HOSTILE, THE OTHER DOG WILL AVOID LOOKING AT HER, ACTUALLY TURN THEIR HEADS ,UNTIL THEY PASS THE 'SNIFF' TEST...IS IT POSSIBLE MCCAINS 'EYE'AVOIDANCE OF OBAMA STEMS FROM HIS BEING CONDITIONED TO SUBMITTING TO HIS MILITARY SUPERIORS THEN TO HIS CAPTORS......HE ' SENSES' OBAMA'S DOMINANCE AND SO 'SUBMITS' TO IT........

I like to imagine the possibility that Hon. Sen. McCain's rage is a self-reinforcing antipathy toward the Republican party and President* Bush in particular.

I think that McCain does not stand a chance of winning these elections.
I mean first of all he is too old to be president!
Secondly, if he can not even look at Obama, an innocent man running for president, iff he can not even look at him, then how can McCain run America, and put up with different people?

I watched Rachel Maddow at lunch as she picked apart John McCain's claim of "always be 100% truthful" and challenged anyone "to match my records". Like he admitted in his own book that in the 2000 primary he lied about supporting the Confederate flag. He must be delusional, or a terrible liar as he didn't remember that he first attacked Obama and the Democrats of "injecting partisanship into the (bailout) negotiation", and in the next second saying that "this is not the time to fix blame". Hello? it's bloody schizophrenic to me. I wonder if he is bipolar as he barely control his temper when being called out for his lies and being criticized for his shortcomings and missteps. However, the "low ranking monkey" theory would be a closest explanation of his fear and anger.