A Whole New McCain

From my new story in Newsstand TIME (which, it must be noted, is a vast, modern, innovative improvement over the old Interweb version: portable for beach reading!! Plane reading!! In the loo!! Transforms seamlessly into an emergency door stopper!!), chock full of comment on Paris Hilton, stripper poles and chaps:

It was McCain's sort of crowd: heavy with vets and drunk with freedom-loving fervor. In the past, the Arizona Senator might have followed up with some "straight talk" or bad jokes, the informal shtick that won him New Hampshire twice. But the newest version of candidate McCain does not dillydally, soft-pedal or claim to live outside politics-as-usual. He hits hard and on message--one focused squarely on his opponent, the political phenom Barack Obama. Gone are McCain's daily promises to conduct a "respectful campaign" and the freewheeling bus rides with his old buddies in the political press. Gone are the optimistic speeches about serving "a cause greater than our self-interest." The new McCain is tight and focused. The candidate who once invited all comers onto the back of his bus now hangs a curtain on his campaign plane to prevent reporters from even catching a glimpse. Instead of charm and candor, he serves up fastballs. Instead of risk-taking, he seeks control. It's a whole new McCain.

UPDATE: The McCain attack continues with a new ad today, which could be effective, if you ignore the fact that it totally misrepresents the Obama tax plan.

UPDATE 2: Obama also has a new ad today, but it's a positive one, prominently featuring potatoes.