Word: mavericking
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...Maverick vs. Cool Hand Luke Joe Klein's piece on Obama's skills in crisis management shows how blind he is [Oct. 13]. Obama speaks with calmness simply because he doesn't know what to say, while McCain speaks with anger because he has so much to say. McCain is angry at what the Democrats and the Wall Street executives have done to deceive the American people. I pray that the American people will listen to McCain's anger and endorse what he will do as President: freeze spending and cut pork-barrel and other unnecessary spending. These steps...
...this crucial moment, what do we make of the two men before us, the passionate Maverick and the cool-handed Hopemonger, Mr. Fire and Mr. Ice? Does the crucible of a campaign actually give you a glimpse of their souls? And does anything that happens on the trail have any bearing on what would happen after they take the oath of office...
...learned that John just hates it when you disagree with him. If you press it, he just falls back on his patriotism. And then he blows up." The sense that you're never sure which McCain you'll get feeds Obama's case that being an unpredictable "maverick" may not be the model you want in times that call for methodical decision-making. But McCain's defenders cite another soldier turned politician who was legendary for his temper: George Washington. Those who rise in the military, notes Virginia Senator John Warner, "are people of strong will, of brevity, giving orders...
National politicians usually have years to build these homunculi of themselves. The race to sculpt Public Palin was instant, and Fey had the sharpest chisel. Where Palin's campaign projected a smart, tough, folksy reformer, Fey showed a posing, in-over-her-head maverick...
That could change. Real Palin may have given Fey more material for Public Palin--just as, in her debate skit, Fey turned maverick from an honorific into a punch line. Public selves are moving targets, and as the comedians and media redefine them, a candidate can fight the definition, embrace it or use it as a shield. How Real Palin deals with her Fey-controlled image over the next few weeks will determine if Public Palin is her new best friend or her own worst enemy...