'Nice John McCain' Temporarily In Charge, Compliments Hillary & Biden; Surly Johnny Hungers To Taste Flesh Once More

Oh, hey, it's "Statesman McCain" today! In Chicago today, Walnuts said that he believed that Hillary Clinton would make a "very strong candidate" for the 2016 Democratic nomination:

I don’t think there’s any doubt she has widespread support. Her work as secretary of state, with the exception of this issue of Benghazi -- which isn’t going away -- I think has been outstanding. I think she would be viewed by anyone, Republican or Democrat, as a very formidable candidate for 2016.”

We'd like to imagine that at the mention of the magic word "Benghazi" the senator experienced a momentary facial tic as Angry Petulant McCain briefly took control, only to be stifled by the Elder Statesman. We're pretty sure he's still in there, just waiting for a chance to break free and transform into the Incredible Sulk. Give him a day or two.

McCain also said that he thought that Old Handsome Joe Biden was a "wonderful guy" and that it would be a mistake to “rule Joe Biden out of this mix.” This is the nice smiley avuncular McCain, the one who is pleasant to be around, the one who charmed a bunch of centrists back in 2000. You do not want to turn your back on nice smiley avuncular McCain for a second, obviously, because he could turn at any moment, and then bam! you've got scary ol' Gollum McCain clinging to you, trying to gum through your carotid artery.

McCain was in Chicago for a joint appearance with Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin at the City Club of Chicago, where they talked about the need for immigration reform. McCain hoped that if comprehensive immigration reform could be passed before the 2014 elections, Republicans would have at least a "level playing field" in future elections, which suggests that whatever he's taking to keep Angry Petulant McCain down may also be inducing mild hallucinations. 

[ Bloomburg via WaPo / Bloomberg ]