Beyond the Dome: Obama Makes McCain Very Uncomfortable
He walked over to where McCain was chatting with Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida and Independent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut. And he stretched out his arm and offered his hand to McCain. McCain shook it, but with a “go away” look that no one could miss. He tried his best not to even look at Obama.
This sentiment has been growing in a variety of sources, and the usual rationales—racism v. an ‘Art of War’-style *strategic* tactic to vilify an enemy—fall short, in my mind. I don’t think it’s either: it is pure disdain for a change agent, and I think that psychology is even more alarming from McCain than the other two. My read on it would be that McCain is angry to finally have his long-fought-for chance at the presidency, right at the time voters decide to reject his generation’s version of politics.
What’s even weirder is to wonder if this attention to McCain’s twisted (literally, twisted) body language is an intentional attack—a chosen strategy. That would be amazingly subtle. Or is it more a matter of people starting to include innate psychological responses into their decision making? That, too, would be remarkable, to finally note visceral reactions to the people making news.
