John McCain just voted. Accompanied by his wife, Cindy, his sons, Jack and Jimmy and his adopted daughter, Bridget, the GOP nominee went to a local church near his Phoenix condo and participated in his civic duty. On television, it will probably look like a relaxed, calm setting, as most political events do. But the scene was total chaos: local reporters screaming and cursing at each other trying to get the shot (Think “Eddie Murphy: Raw”), Secret Service, which looks to have doubled in numbers today, trying to control the crowd. Reporters weren’t allowed to go inside to watch McCain vote—It’s against the law here in Phoenix—so the campaign positioned the press pool at windows looking into the room. As McCain moved to drop his ballot in the box, one photographer almost went through the glass window trying to get the shot. This reporter would like to say this is unusual behavior on the campaign trail, but in truth, it’s not.
McCain looked like he was in a good mood. Already, something a little out of the ordinary has happened. The candidate who once used to talk to us all the time, but stopped, was spied pacing his condo’s balcony this morning before he went to vote. Eleven stories below, the press pool was watching. This reporter and a NEWSWEEK photographer waved to see if he would respond, and, lo and behold, he did, before going back inside. Shortly, McCain will head out for last-minute campaigning in Colorado and New Mexico before hitting up his election party in Phoenix tonight.
