The Real McCain and Reluctant Muslinging

Reading this New York magazine piece on the campaign made me think two things:

1. It's fully possible McCain did want to keep the campaign as civil as possible - right up until the point he realized that if that happened, Obama was going to kick his ass. I'm guessing most politicians don't really want to call their opponents traitorous child molesters, but are willing to do so when strategists tell them it's the only way they can win the campaign.
2. Lately, some journalists, perhaps egged on by John Weaver and Mike Murphy, two McCain advisers from 2000, have been claiming the McCain that is sliming Obama isn't the "real" McCain. I'm sure this is true. What's equally true is that the 2000 version of McCain - "The Maverick" - wasn't real either. Both are just creations of the strategists running the campaign. There's elements of truth and elements of fiction in both, and there are elements of truth and elements of fiction in how Obama is presented by his campaign.