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The Official John McCain Thumbs Up Gallery
Obama isn't the only one with a signature hand gesture.
The “thumbs-up” is a classic American gesture, right up there with the high-five and raising the roof; dating back to WWII, when fighter pilots would flash their opposable digit to signal they were ready for take-off, the flash of a thumb has become popular with politicians and movie critics alike. John McCain has especially taken to it: Barack’s fist bump might get all the attention, but McCain’s gesture is much more ubiquitous. Whether he is saluting cheerleaders in Ohio or giving a vote of confidence to a Pittsburgh sandwich shop, McCain has been nothing if not a consistent hitchhiker/car salesman. Let’s just hope he doesn’t take it to Iran or Iraq—the gesture there is like flipping the bird in America, and really, who wants to start a thumb war?
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Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
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zazzer
whoa. that first picture in the gallery is INTENSE. McCain should have held that expression for the whole campaign. man...we really need more Roger Ebert-esque politicians.
donatello
Just sad.
wednesdaywolf
Number 11 speaks volumes. I have real sympathy for the Ice Queen.
clarityinthedefaultworld
I find it ironic that these pictures make McCain look like a caricature, and yet caricature artists still have a hard time drawing him.
WordWielder
Sad indeed - that people would care how a candidate displays his thumbs or that the Beast would care to report on it.
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