2008-05-19-12:42 - John McCain, the Magic Man
Last week John McCain gave a speech where he spoke of his vision of the war in Iraq ending in 2013. The speech has been roundly criticized because it lacked any path to get there beyond the already failed Bush plan. Why would "stay the course" work for McCain in the next 4 years when it has failed for Bush for the last 5 year?
The answer might be found in a recent article in what might first appear as a fluff piece from the Washington Times and later picked up by the Washington Post. It seems that what McCain has that Bush lacked is a magic lizard. So perhaps McCain's plan to do differently than Bush is to wave his magic lizard at Iraq.
If that fails he also has "a lucky feather, a lucky compass and a lucky penny — not to mention a lucky nickel and a lucky quarter." Some believe if he finds a lucky dime, he will even be able to find bin Laden!
Now I joke, but this is apparently very serious for John McCain.
When the compass went missing once, McCain assigned his political director to hunt it down. Weaver found it, and it remains safe, knock wood.
And it goes a little beyond a few lucky charms.
Primary day requires additional rituals. By the time you read this, Steve Dart, McCain's lucky friend, should have arrived in South Carolina from California. He has been present with McCain for every Election Day since McCain first won a seat in Congress. McCain must sleep on a certain side of the bed, particularly before an election (and he never puts a hat on a bed--bad luck). Rain is good for Election Day, as are motion pictures. McCain requires himself to view a movie before the vote is counted. He fell asleep in his hotel room in New Hampshire before he watched a movie on primary day, but his staff didn't panic. "We have superstition fire walls," says Todd Harris, a spokesman.
That's for sure. Even some foods carry special powers. McCain insists that he and his staff eat barbecue--"our lucky food," says Cindy McCain, the candidate's wife--before each debate, sending Wiles out to find ribs or pulled pork even in New Hampshire or Michigan.
I've got to wonder though at what point does this cross from irrational superstition to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?