John McCain and a surprise hit 'Tonight Show'

Straight-talker John McCain, the Arizona senator and new front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, went on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" again tonight. No, make that tonight again.

Last summer, you may remember, when McCain's campaign was out of money and laying off staff and he was flying solo back in the economy section of commercial airliners, his candidacy was largely considered dead. The senator went on the same show then and re-announced his campaign. He said he thought that might give it a new life.

Guess it worked. McCain said what revived his campaign finances were all the contributions from Leno's band.

Anyway, tonight McCain was full of jokes. Jay asked him what he thought about....

Sen. Ted Kennedy's endorsement of Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton and McCain said, "I didn't know enough about it to have a thought about it." Yeh, right. The Straight Talk Express.

Jay asked him if he liked all the candidate debates, like the one the other night at the Reagan Library that was the 15th GOP forum. "I think," replied McCain, "there were only 14 too many." He said he much preferred town hall meetings, where he can speak to individuals and they can ask follow-up questions.

Leno asked the 71-year-old McCain about the age issue and Mike Huckabee-backer Chuck Norris saying the Arizonan was too old. "Schwarzenegger is going to take care of him," said McCain, who went on to recall similar criticism about Ronald Reagan "when he was running for president in all 13 states."

McCain said a few other things. About the head of al Qaeda, McCain said, "I'll get Osama bin Laden. I'll get him. We'll bring him to justice."

McCain had some really nice things to say about Fred Thompson ("a good sincere person"), Mitt Romney ("a very fine family man ... a good man") and Huckabee ("a good guy"). And then, hmmm, as if the two thoughts were connected, Jay asked McCain about his vice presidential partner, as if McCain was the certain nominee. McCain looked at Jay and said, "Well, I know that your contract is up."

Now, if you've TiVoed tonight's Tonight Show, you should stop reading right here.

Late in the McCain interview a surprise guest walked on stage, none other than former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who just dropped out of the GOP race and endorsed McCain. Jay started to ask about Giuliani's failed campaign and the ex-mayor said, "Do we have to?"

But then at the end, the newfound political allies, McCain and Giuliani, had a visible split. McCain, whose state is hosting the Super Bowl on Sunday, said he'd need convincing that the 17-0 New England Patriots could be beaten. And Giuliani, true to his New York roots this time, picked the Giants "all the way."

McCain shook his head but did give Giuliani the points. Here's a transcript if you want to read the whole thing.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Roger]

McCain For President!

Would you like to know how of a straight talk McCain is?
Would you like to learn how much honest McCain is?
McCain has so much to offer as President that one just need to watch this video to get to know him in depth!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioy90nF2anI

McCain For PRESIDENT!!

[Lawrence]

How can you be so blind? We the people of The United States of America want our troops home NOW! Defending our country here! Not there! McCain is insane.

[anakr1nen]

At the California Presidential debate, John McCain made several allegations against Mitt Romney, most false or distorted versions of the truth. However, he did make one true allegation. He accused Mitt Romney of laying workers off.

Well, he's right. Mitt Romney has laid employees off; he's also fired employees. And let me say, I don't know if I could be Mitt Romney and face the challenging decisions he's had to make-- knowing that his decision is going to hurt another human being, but that what he did was important so that hundreds would not loose their jobs and the economy suffer.

As far as Mitt Romney's coMITTment to others, there's a little story Romney won't mention because it's not in his nature to brag. I found it online (by Ronald Kessler):

By Ronald Kessler

[Mitt Romney was faced with a crisis in July 1996. The 14-year-old daughter of Robert Gay, a partner in Romney's new venture capital firm, Bain Capital, had disappeared. As it turned out, she had attended a rave party in New York City and had become high on ecstasy. Three days later, her distraught father had no idea where she was.

Romney took immediate action. He closed down the entire firm and asked all 30 partners and employees to fly to New York to try to find Gay's daughter.
Romney set up a command center in a conference room at the LaGuardia Marriott just outside Manhattan. He hired a private detective firm to assist with the search and established a toll-free number for tips, coordinating the effort with the New York City Police Department, but he still wasn't satisfied. He raced through his Rolodex and called everyone Bain did business with in New York. He asked them to help his company find their friend's missing daughter.

The company's accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and its law firm, put up posters on street poles with a photo of the missing teenager. Cashiers at Duane Reade Pharmacies, which was owned by Bain Capital, put fliers in the bag of each shopper.

Romney and others from the Bain Capital posse trudged through every part of New York, even scouring Central Park, and talked with everyone they could - prostitutes, drug addicts - anyone who may have seen her. They also made rounds at the local nightclubs at 3 a.m., hoping someone somewhere could identify her.

The same day the Romney team came to New York, the hunt made the evening news. Television cameras showed photos of the girl and video of investment banker types prowling through Central Park.

The next day, a teenage boy she was with phoned in. He asked if there was a reward. But the boy got nervous and quickly hung up. Luckily, the police traced the call to a home in Montville Township, N.J.

Gay's daughter, when they found her in the basement of that home, was shivering through detox after a massive dose of ecstasy. Doctors later told Gay that he was indeed fortunate - his daughter probably would not have lasted another day.

"It was the most amazing thing, and I'll never forget this to the day I die," Gay says, adding of Romney's intervention, "I'm not sure we would have gotten her back without him."

It is often during a crisis that we gain insight into a person's real character. Romney's action demonstrated leadership, loyalty, and selflessness - attributes that Americans just might like to see in a president of the United States.]

Mr. Kessler recognizes what true leadership is.

[Rockdad50]

Mad Dog Insane McCain? Lord help us. Look at this man's long history of bad judgement (Keating 5) etc. He's been bought and sold so many times that he should be called "Hoe Insane McCain". He's a big government guy all the way! He'll have his hand so far down your pocket you'll be lucky if you have lint when he gets done with us. He finished like 894 of 897 in his class at the Naval Acad.
He has no idea how to fix our economic mess of "overspending" big government. Because he IS big government! Goodbye middle class, McCain, Billary, or Obama , theres no difference between them!
I love my country, but i fear my government.