April
1 McCain Strikes Back at Letterman

"Hi, Letterman. You think that stuff's pretty funny, don't you?" John McCain asked David Letterman on Tuesday night, when he made a return visit to "Late Show."

Since McCain has risen in the polls and then secured the nomination, Letterman has been relentless in riffing on the Arizona senator's age, making for a somewhat awkward host-guest dynamic.

Letterman didn't pull any grumpy old man jokes. Instead, he launched into a tirade.

According to the New York Times, he started, “He looks like the guy at the hardware store who makes the keys,’’ he said, according to a transcript provided by CBS. “He looks like the guy who can’t stop talking about how well his tomatoes are doing. He looks like the guy who goes into town for turpentine. He looks like the guy who always has wiry hair growing out of new places. He looks like the guy who points out the spots they missed at the car wash.’’

Then McCain walked out on stage.

“Well, you look like a guy whose laptop would be seized by the authorities,’’ McCain said. “You look like a guy caught smuggling reptiles in his pants.’’

Letterman shot back, “Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it.’’

Later, they sat down for a chat, and McCain talked about a host of issues including the mortgage crisis and Iraq.