Recap: McCain jokes about age, VP choice with Leno
BURBANK, CA — McCain and Leno had a lively exchange and took cracks at one another in addition to talking politics during this afternoon’s taping of the Tonight Show, the Arizona Senator’s 13th appearance on the show.
Leno began poking fun at McCain during his opening monologue. Best Leno hits:
–”Tropical Storm Fay has soaked Floria, ringing thousands of homes, ruining thousands of homes, most of them belonging to John McCain. In fact to make Sen. McCain feel at home tonight, I gave him 7 dressing rooms.
–”It was this week in 1814, British troops set fire to the White House. Did you know that? The White House was saved, it was saved thanks to the actions of one brave young soldier, John McCain.”
McCain, who turns 72 years old Friday, immediately reacted to Leno’s 1814 joke and had fun with age upon walking on stage:
McCain: By the way, thanks for mentioning about my heroism in there, it was remarkable-
Leno: 1814
McCain: Saving Washignton. A lot of people think I shouldn’t have like a lot of people. But also you forgot to mention when I warned the people about the British coming–
Leno: Right. You know I didn’t want to go on, you know. Sometimes its too much (laughter) Now speaking of that, I know you have a birthday Friday.
McCain: Thank you for mentioning that. (pretends to fall asleep in his chair)
Leno: We were going to have a cake but the fire marshal—
Leno: Now we have done a few jokes about that-
McCain: A few?
Leno: A few jokes-
McCain A few thousand!
Leno: Does that ever bother you ?
McCain: I’ve got one. My Social Security number is 8.
Leno: Wow.
McCain then took his own shot at Leno but the late night host immediately turned around the joke on the GOPer, playing off of the housing kerfuffle from last week.
McCain: I know you have been asking about who I want to be as my runningmate. Now wouldn’t it be good to have a person, you don’t know what party they’re with, they have no political principles whatsoever, they may need a job about that time. Who could I be referring to?
Leno: Thank you, thank you very much. I can make more doing a week in Vegas but thanks! It’s a lousy job for the money.
McCain: The house is nice. The house is nice.
Leno: Yeah, but you got enough of those
McCain: There you go–
Leno: You need a white one too?
While the conversation stayed relatively light, when Leno brought up the houses issue later on during the interview McCain took the conversation in a more sober direction.
McCain: You know, could I just mention to you Jay in a moment of seriousness. I spent five and a half years in a prison cell. Without a - I didn’t have a house, I didn’t have a kitchen table. I didn’t have a table, I didn’t have a chair. And I spent those five and a half years not because I wanted to get a house when I got out. And you know I am very proud of cindy’s father. He was a guy that barely got out of high school, fought in World War II in the Army Air Corps, came home and made a business and made the American dream. And so somehow - you have had Cindy on this show and the fact is that she is very generous. She goes around the world doing humanitarian stuff. She’s now in Georgia as we speak looking at the humanitarian aspects of the results of this Russian invasion. So I am proud of my life and my record and we spend our time at condominum in Washington, a condominum in Phoenix, some time over here in the state of California and we have a place in Northern Arizona. And my friends, I am proud of my record of service to this country and it has nothing to do with houses. What it has to do with putting Americans in houses and keeping them in their homes.
Tags: houses, Jay Leno, john mccain, tonight show
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Hillary will get my vote…since she can’t likely win…go Maverick!
Not any one Republican VP candidate has the ability to diffuse the naysayers, rally the party, and serve like Mike Huckabee.
Huckabee’s economic and foreign relations service is widely under-reported. As a Governor, he’s run a government longer than any other (in a historically Democrat state, no less), took swift action to provide mutual aid in the face of Katrina, and is highly respected by both citizens and peers of every political persuasion. His ability to run a campaign on a shoestring more recently underscores his ability to treat others’ hard-earned dollars with respect. Someone who is faithful in the little things will be just as faithful with much.
What’s missing from any other potential VP candidate is passion! No amount of money can buy the support he has. None! It’s PASSION that drives single parents, struggling middle class, seniors on fixed incomes, and college students to sacrificially give to his campaign. Huckabee has the respect of the independent white woman, impoverished minorities, and fired up young and first-time voters more than any other Republican.
Very importantly, Mike Huckabee inspires hope and tangible change with actual plans to make that happen. He can hold his own with the common man, the elite, and any foreign dignitary. He puts his country first, can never be bought, and shows loyalty to whatever cause he is aligned.
I hope and wish that Mr. McCain will make the right decision for our country and the Republican party by choosing Mike Huckabee as VP.
McCain has to joke about his age in the hope that no one will recognize that he he is unable to remember anything else. He is no longer in touch with Americans or the rest of the world.
Who’s this McCain guy? I thought Obama was elected president?
McCain’s running mate is more important than Obama’s. Average American males live to about 74, he is 72, with skin cancer. So there is your age joke, Leno.
Leno is not funny.
McCain is not good at running for president.
McCain could remember how many states are in the U.S. and it isn’t over his pay scale to know when life begins, and he never denies hearing what his pastor says in church, and he doesn’t deny any friends or mistakes he’s made. Now Obama can’t remember how many states there are in the U.S. and doesn’t recall what Rev. Wright was preaching for 20+ years, and he thought his children went to grade school with Ayers’ adult children when it was actually a program for schools Obama started and ask Ayres to work on with him which was a flop, and it is Obama who can’t admit the surge worked and he was wrong. So out of the two Obama has a memory problem about really serious issues while McCain, who admits his wife has her own income and money, may not know how many houses Cindy has he does not have to lie about Ayers, Odinga, Rev. Wright and how he votes. Obama has to lie about everything including that he votes along partylines consistanly more so than McCain. In fact Obama will vote against his own bills if the democrats do so give me the old guy without the terrorist ties and Anti-American, anti-whites, anti-jews any day. I have a problem with a man who will not admit he makes mistakes and refuses to admit some one else maybe right. What if he gets that 3 a.m. call and makes another mistake and has to have a do over? Who will pay for that one because that is the one place, kinda like surgery and the doc saying oops, you don’t want a mistake and a man who wont say he was wrong might not admit he made one and we all pay for the next oops.
Go McCain 2008
Comment by Lisa
August 26th, 2008 at 12:53 am
Hillary will get my vote…since she can’t likely win…go Maverick!
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McCain could care less about Hillary and her supporters. He does however want their votes.
Obama is my senator in the state of Illinois. In the years he has been in office, he has never replied to any of my emails regarding issues within Illinois. Every other Illinois official has replied to me and to the concerns of their constituents regularly.
Guess what? I received a reply from Obama’s office for the first time a couple weeks ago. Not very impressive! Downstate Illinois residents would confirm that Obama is concerned with his own election and not with the people he represents. He is about self-interest despite his stirring rhetoric to the contrary.
I have two concerns about the changing perception of John McCain, a war hero, whom we all honor. One is that repetition of his captivity story becomes a noun, a verb and POW. Two is that the negativity of his campaign and, even worse, the nastiness of supporters outside the campaign tar and feather McCain’s good name. I watch Jay Leno to unwind at the end of the day, and I know that John McCain can be funny, but he is in danger of becoming tiresome.
I am concerned about the changing perception of John McCain, a war hero, whom we all honor. The negativity of his campaign and, even worse, the nastiness of supporters outside the campaign tar and feather McCain’s good name. I watch Jay Leno to unwind at the end of the day, and I know that John McCain can be funny, but he is in danger of becoming tiresome.
Rich in Fairfax,
I can give you 4.2 million reasons Obama is out of touch with the rest of America. If he was so
“in touch”, why does he have a $1.6 million dollar home instead of living in an average house like the rest of us? Harvard? Wow, I barely got in to my local school. Navy war hero, oh, now that I can relate to!!!
I take nothing away from Senator McCain in his service to this great country and that he was a POW … but it seems to me he’s shoving this issue down America’s throats and now somehow, because he served 5 1/2 years in a prison camp, being tortured, we owe him the presidency. I think not … there are thousands of men and women who have been POWs, lost limbs, and many more that have lost their lives … I don’t hear ANY of them on saying “I was POW, I lost a leg, I am now blind … etc. for serving my country … America get past the fact he was in the military, he was shot down and he was taken captive … look at the issues … he served his country, yes, he was tortured, yes … he endured what no man, woman or child should have inflicted upon them … but this is not why he should be President and for the very reason he emphasizes this so much … what else does he have to offer … how can he with his wife’s millions (because he’s quick to say it is Cindy’s houses, Cindy’s money …) how can he relate to living paycheck to paycheck, not having insurance, not even being able to afford to put gas int he car in order to get to work, as a parent going hungry so your child can have a little bit more … I truly believe he would be another 4 years of Bush.
Mike Huckabee would be a wise choice for McCain’s V.P pick. Very smart and would carry the south and the conserative vote.
Well Rich, unlike Obama, McCain can take it and doesn’t let it affect him. It’s the kind of poise you get through experience and knowledge, which is exactly why Obama lacks it.
I am so sick and tired of McCain and FOX news using the excuse of his POW experience to justify everything he does. Don’t tell me that because he was a POW he can , Cheat on his first wife , call his new wife the “C” word in front of reporters and offer her up for a topless contest. And the Creme de la Creme, use it as an excuse why he can’t remember how many houses he owns. Give me a break. Does he really think we are all stupid and can’t figure out what he’s doing? That was forty years ago.
There are a lot of Vets against McCain for trying to stonewall the efforts of MIA families to get information about their MIA sons.
watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFM1xqqTX_g
You can joke with McCain and laugh with him b/c he is a good guy…but if you say something negative to Obama, he shows his thin skin and gets angry. Nobody can say anything against him or even question him or he and his people will try to brand you as being a racist….just ask Bill, Ferraro, McCain, and Hillary.
McCain 08!!!
Seven houses? Big deal? I have an old couple friend (the husband was just a janitor in a prestigious university and the wife a clerk) owns a four door apartment and two houses and they are not millionaries. And to think that we are in California . NOt only that I still have a lot whom I can say that as long as you are hardworking people owning seven houses are not big deal… because we save for our future and the future of our children. We don;t depend on the government about our future…..
I come on these forums not to berate people but to say good things about them if they are deserving of that. I guess at my age I have the experience and knowledge to know that.
I was reading , StellaCa, message and was glad to hear all the good things she said about Mike
Huckabee, I didn’t know all those thing about him. I did like to hear him speak on TV and liked what he said, but didn’t really know him that well. Thanks StellaCa.
I am very impressed with Cindy McCann going to Georgia, to help those poor people.
I respect John McCann as being an intelligent person, witty, patriotic and dearly loves his Country.
I am sure he will lead and guide us in the right direction and I’m willing to give him 4 years to do that after he gave many years in Camp Hilton for us and his Country. He deserves that, in my humble opinion.
GOD BLESS AMERICA AND ALL THE PEOPLE IN IT.
13th time on the Tonight Show?? So that makes about 30 times this dude has been on talk shows between Jay Leno, Dave Letterman & Jon Stewart. Not to mention his A&E special or his brief stint in Wedding Crashers with Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson. As an actor, I would LOVE to have that on my resume. This guy actually has the nerve to call Obama a celebrity?? I guess it takes one to know one.
Knowledge Reigns Supreme!!! OBAMA 08!!!!
McCain has become the Arizona version of NYC’s Rudy Giuliani: a noun, a verb and POW. He needs to stop. It is no longer a get -out- of- jail- free card for him. He now is beginning to dishonor the sacrifice of the hundreds of POWs who go through life without the POW banner marching before them.
I like the fact that John McCain is so down to earth he can poke fun at himself. I cannot respect anyone who won’t indulge in self depricating humor (even when Obama’s script writers do come up with a good one).
I’m just waiting for Obama to continue the housing attack. Even McCain or some 527 group is going to zing the ‘Annointed One’ about his brother George’s 6X6 shanty.
McCain Hutchinson ‘08
I will vote for Senator McCain for the presidential election, if he picks Governor Mitt Romany. Otherwise, I will vote for Ralph Nader.
My Picking order:
1) McCain/Huckabee
2) McCain/Condi Rice
3) McCain/Colin Powell
4) McCain/J.C. Watts
5) McCain/John Ashcroft
6) McCain/Rudy Guiliani
Radical Game Changer:
McCain/Chelsea Clinton
McCain/Harold Ford
Sure Mccain has a few homes, but he earned them. Obama got his house the old political way, by a convicted criminal. Who would you want as president? The hard worker or the opportunists.
Fox , your so bias! If Obama was stupid enough and use such poor military judgement to send his wife into a country where there has been war, and could erupt again with Russia believeing the U.S is deliverying weapons by war ship into the country, You would be tearing Obama apart! Mccain cares so little for his wife safety, and wants the white house so bad that He would agree to send his wife into harms way! No wonder everyone who I know is dissing Fox news for their bias this election year! Oh by the way I’m a republican who’s voteing Obama this year, because I feel John Mccain is no longer the Maverick I know. The one I knew wouldn’t use his wife this way, and wouldn’t continue to tarnish his POW experience for every thing from excuseing adultry to explaining why he can’t remember how many homes he owns! Your to scared to ask if John Mccains memory problem could endanger our country, and if it could be a seriouse mental Health problem! Why not talk about the web sight RepublicansforObama? You talked about Demacrates who’s voteing Mccain who’s Hillary’s people! Fair and balanced , you are not!
its time to realize that we are getting ready to elect a president not and a BET president ceremony
Instead of Senator McCain, we can call him from now on POW McCain. Looks like his every third word is POW. So go POW McCain, Go………..
NOBAMA thank God he hasn’t been elected yet
Hopefully the real working people will see through him
At least McCain has a sense of humor and is witty. Obama would analyze the remarks and make sure to define what funny is before he stumbled through his response with uhhhh uhm well, u uh uh uh uh ummm. He’s as fake as they come. I hope and pray that the rest of the country will see this before November.
Obama mama,
Ha, ha. That is very funny and I admit that I was right along with you in thinking that Obama was already elected. What do you mean we need pesky elections? Doesn’t the media annoint our king, err, I mean President?
Whether you are sick of McCain touting his war experience or not, it helps to understand that of course he is going to mention it, because it is a strength. McCain has sacrificed for this country far more than most can say. Does it entitle him to the Presidency? No. But, what has Obama done for the country? I would rather have a commander-in-chief who has a clue and some firsthand experience. I personally am not going to criticize McCain until I can best his experience by being a P.O.W. for at least six years or more. Until then, I will let the guy have his props.
As much as I thank Senator McCain for his service (I’m a vet as well), I’m a little tired of hearing the POW story. Being a POW is NOT a qualification for President.
BTW - Can anyone actually name the requirements for being President? There’s an age requirement, citizenship requirement, no felonie’s, etc. Not ONE requirement states being in the military, or a Congressman for a long time, etc. So when people talk about “qualified”, technically almost every American is “qualified” per the constitution. You don’t even have to have a college education. I mean McCain was 4th or 5th from the bottom of his class, Bush was a “C” student at best
Anyway, I’m waiting on McCain to pick Romney. Believe me, the Dems already have ads ready showing the riff and the things Romney stated about McCain. That was much worse than anything Hillary and Obama said.
McCain is great!! If we can’t have Hillary, we’ll take John.
Alberta, I’m sure John McCann would not have a choice in Cindy going to Georgia. She would not be stopped as she has been helping the unfortunate people for many many years. John respects her judgement and respects women in general. He is a gentleman. Hats off to Cindy and John.
John McCann 08.
PUMA.
The Rezko scandal is a complete non-story. Obama bought a lot adjacent to his house from Rezko for above market price. It’s not like he got a steep discount on it.
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/rezko_reality.html
If John McCain’s age is such a big issue with the Dems, then why don’t Biden, Kennedy, Charley Rangel retire? I will take a experienced senior citizen’s experience, morals and character over the youth running around our country today. Obama appeals to the young because they are anti war and anti establishment. The youth today got it made in America compared to so many other countries. Instead of taking pride in America and appreciating what this country has done for them, they just complain and want more. Go ahead, vote for Obama and tell me in four years if you got it better than now!!!!
The Huck was a way better choice to be the republican nom. Now I think that Fox News made a great choice by selecting him as a regular. In that capacity, maybe he could become more well known by 2012 and do plenty along the way to help lead our great country. Go HUCK\FOX.
2) McCain/Condi Rice
I would vote for this ticket…
At least John McCain has a sense of humor and is not afraid to poke fun at himself.
John McCain is an old wine in new bottle. He is unintelligent, incoherent, dishonest and out of touch. He really did not forget how many homes he owned. He tried to dodge the question and hide the fact from the American people.
It doesn’t take 26 years in Washington to figure out what is wrong with our goverment. McCain is part of the problem that we need to fix. You cannot teach an old dog new tricks. John McCain belong in the past. America needs to move forward and embrace the future with confidence and pride.
Does it ever scare you when you hear the comments what is good for the party? Scares the heck out of me when the wishes of Howard Dean and the I hate conservatives line gets carried on. We need both the Liberal and the Conservative perspective in Government if it is to survive. How about a new rule that when you enter Congress the party designations are left at the door and you are then on the peoples business instead of the parties business. Wow representing the people, what a novel idea.
What many of you people that claim McCain is hard working and “earned” all of his houses. Remember this, he Devorced his first wife for those houses. Not only that, but also for a political career started by his new wife’s father and his connections. As for his education, he had a father and grandfather that were both Admirals. And that Alone is what got him into the Naval Accademy and kept him from Failing out. The Harvard Education that one person commented that Obama had. Well, Hate to tell you, but he earned his acceptance and WORKED his way through. And the $4.2 million Obama claimed last year. Well. That came from Selling his Books, not from money his wifes trust fund gave him.
Obama mama, I laughed at your note too.
Actually, Obama is now Emperor which leaves the entirely ceremonial job of President still open. And BTW did you know that Obama will be speaking Thursday night surrounded by fake Greek columns? I understand he’ll be wearing a toga and sandals, and carrying a stone tablet inscribed with the 10 commandments. Don’t miss it!
-On the candidates personalities- they should become far clearer in the debates?
seems that nobody is so good an actor as to keep up a facade through hours of that kind of pressure. something like Al Gore’s bratty tongue clicking & sighing- always shines through-
I worry that McCain could get pretty irritable under pressure- He can joke about his age and houses- but attacked for ideology/politics etc I can see him coming unwound.
I don’t see Obama as being passionate enough about any issue (other than his own election) to be riled by debating - his ideas are from the party and the polls, while McCain’s are from the heart making him more defensive?
Why doesn’t anyone consider Olympia Snow a viable VP choice for McCain??
My ONLY vote for VP is Mitt! or we cannot win this ticket. I wouldn’t even be excited without him on the ticket to fight for our cause for this country. It makes it a credible ticket! He would be the BEST! I hope they don’t blow it by picking anyone else. It would be a big mistake! Romney would be a big WIN for MCCAIN, for YOU, for ME, for AMERICA!! Please pick Mitt!