“That One” McCain Might Regret

Conservatives have mocked Barack Obama as "The One,” but when John McCain changed the phrase to "that one" Tuesday night, he replaced irony with pure contempt. The harrowing moment came during an exchange about energy policy—see the link at the right. “My guess is ‘that one’ will be the moment remembered from this one,” writes Time’s Michael Scherer. “Why? Because it can be used as shorthand for the overwhelming mood of the evening.” McCain seethed at Obama through a tight smile, while “Obama appeared to treat McCain like a disruptive student in his law school class.” MSBNC’s Chris Matthews called McCain an “idiot” for making the remark.