After all the hate-mongering on Wednesday, McCain himself showed up on Thursday evening with a semi-informal, drab sequence of remarks. Some of it was conciliatory and even “friendly.” But the basic branding was still there–more war, more drilling, more giveaways to the rich, 9/11 and POW fetishism, offers of “bipartisan” cooperation with anyone who’ll totally accede to the far-right agenda.

I felt like I was watching a victim of some delusional syndrome such as intermediate senility, occasionally lapsing into lucid human speech before reverting to nonsense.

(NO, this is not age-bashing. The late George Carlin was just a few months younger than Mr. McC., and maintained his wit and sensibility to the end. My mother’s older than Mr. McC., and could undoubtedly out-debate him.)