Gritting his teeth?

Not that we can entirely trust the leftist McClatchy News Service but they are reporting something that seems like it could have occurred:

John McCain engaged in a physical confrontation in 1987 with a left-wing Sandinista leader during a diplomatic meeting in Nicaragua, according to one of his colleagues, Sen. Thad Cochran, a Mississippi Republican.

Cochran made headlines earlier in the year by saying the thoughts of McCain as president "sent a cold chill down my spine."

Ironically (or not) Virginia Senator Jim Webb, one whose name keeps floating around as a possible VP choice for Obama, said this about McCain today:

"And John McCain's my long-time friend, if that is one area that I would ask him to calm down on, it`s that, don't be standing up and uttering your political views and implying that all the people in the military support them because they don't, any more than when the Democrats have political issues during the Vietnam War. Let's get the politics out of the military, take care of our military people, or have our political arguments in other areas."

This is beyond absurd considering how the Democrats played Kerry's military background when he was their nominee and how Webb himself wasn't in the least bit shy in letting folks promote his military background to help win in a conservative state. Now suddenly it's off limits.

As to the GI Bill legislation, like Webb, McCain also had a son who served in Iraq so the bill they're trying to paint McCain and Bush as opposing would have directly benefited a family member, just as it will with Webb. Which one would have been accused of feathering his own nest? And speaking of temper Webb has his own anger management issues--he was once accused of getting testy with Bush during an event at the White House.

Now within 3 days we've seen Wes Clark, Rand Beers, and Jim Webb all trying to sneakily diminish McCain's military service. It's almost incomprehensible these events aren't somehow coordinated. Perhaps they're trying to accomplish two things--laying a seed of doubt about McCain's background while at the same time trying to get him so mad he'll display some of that spine-chilling temper. Any flareups or angry talk will be immediately used to paint him as too hot-tempered to serve--someone who might launch nukes at the drop of a hat.

Notice the men taking potshots are not liberal flower children, they're among the toughest ex-military democrats around. If indeed this is a call-out McCain has wisely not taken the bait so far but one has to wonder how long he can resist.

MORE 7/2/08

Now Clark seems to be saying the difference between Kerry's service and McCain's was not in the military itself but afterwards, when JFK displayed moral conviction by throwing his (or someone's) medals; secretly meeting the North Vietnamese in Paris while still in the Navy; and testifying before Congress where he called our troops' actions reminiscent of Ghengis Khan.

Unbelievable. Yet so believable.

Obviously he's either nuts or is still trying desperately to get McCain out in the street for a high-noon showdown.