I am a sucker for a “A Few Good Men” by Rob Reiner.  The courtroom scene between Tom Crusie’s Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee and Jack Nicholson’s Colonel Nathan Jessup is a pretty compelling half-hour of film.  In the film, Jessup is called to testify about the death of a private at the hands of two other marines at Jessup’s Guantanamo Bay base.   The mere fact that Jessup is required to testify in Washington to, in essence, justify how he runs his unit is beyond infuriating for him and he drips contempt for the trial and especially for the young, Harvard-educated lawyer whose ties to the military are in name only.

That really is the same sort of contempt McCain displayed last night at the debate through his non-verbal  (failing to look at Obama) and his verbal (“What Senator Obama doesn’t understand”) communication.   Like Josh Marshall has said, he is perturbed he has to run against Obama.  

Both Jessup and McCain believe their methods are unassailable.  Jessup says “I run my unit like I run my unit.”  McCain, with his mavericky ways is quite the same.  How dare anybody call his “suspension” a political stunt.  How dare somebody question his pick of Sarah Palin.  How dare somebody point out the Rick Davis – Fannie / Freddie connection.   McCain will run his campaign like he runs his campaign and it simply isn’t your or my prerogative to question his choices. 

I only half-kid when I say I expect to see Obama rattle McCain at the next debate to the point where McCain flys completely off the handle and the scene devolves into something resembling the “You Can’t Handle the Truth” scene. 

I am a sucker for a “A Few Good Men” by Rob Reiner.  The courtroom scene between Tom Crusie’s Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee and Jack Nicholson’s Colonel Nathan Jessup is a pretty compelling half-hour of film.  In the film, Jessup is called to testify about the death of a private at the hands of two other marines at Jessup’s Guantanamo Bay base.   The mere fact that Jessup is required to testify in Washington to, in essence, justify how he runs his unit is beyond infuriating for him and he drips contempt for the trial and especially for the young, Harvard-educated lawyer whose ties to the military are in name only.

That really is the same sort of contempt McCain displayed last night at the debate through his non-verbal  (failing to look at Obama) and his verbal (“What Senator Obama doesn’t understand”) communication.   Like you’ve said before, Josh, he is perturbed he has to run against Obama.   

Both Jessup and McCain believe their methods are unassailable.  Jessup says “I run my unit like I run my unit.”  McCain, with his mavericky ways is quite the same.  How dare anybody call his “suspension” a political stunt.  How dare somebody question his pick of Sarah Palin.  How dare somebody point out the Rick Davis – Fannie / Freddie connection.   McCain will run his campaign like he runs his campaign and it simply isn’t your or my prerogative to question his choices.  

I only half-kid when I say I expect to see Obama rattle McCain at the next debate to the point where McCain flys completely off the handle and the scene devolves into something resembling the “You Can’t Handle the Truth” scene. 

It'd be - as TNT is apt to say - a "New Classic."