John McCain defines honor . . .

. . . in his books, so quit asking him to define it stupid Time Magazine guy!

This was the scene writers James Carney and Michael Scherer were privy to when they set out to interview McCain recently. Although they kept the questions fairly light and lobbed him a couple softballs, McCain was in no mood to answer them.

There's a theme that recurs in your books and your speeches, both about putting country first but also about honor. I wonder if you could define honor for us?
Read it in my books.

I've read your books.
No, I'm not going to define it.

But honor in politics?
I defined it in five books. Read my books.

I could understand if they opened up with questions about his wife's painkiller problem or the Keating Five scandal or something like that, but define "honor?" That's McCain's cue to reiterate his talking points that he's built his career on. It's like asking Obama if he believes in change.

Is this some kind of complex strategy by McCain? Like, is he trying to build Obama into such a media darling that he's willing to ruin his own (also very friendly) standing with reporters? Why else would he have such a harsh reaction to a softball question? One of the writers even asked McCain in a joking manner, "Do I know you?"

Unless he's just a cranky old man who can't handle the marathon that is a presidential campaign, which was what Republicans feared would happen when he first became the favorite. But if that were the case, they never would have nominated him, right?

I understand he wants to be like Barry Goldwater, but he doesn't have to try THIS hard.

Read the entire awkward Time piece here.