McCain Reaches Out

By Peter S. Canellos, Globe Staff

GILFORD, New Hampshire - John McCain's town meeting at the Gilford fire station this morning offered more proof, if any is needed, that the onetime maverick is now suffering the fate of other senators who've run for president.

The lion's share of his remarks were devoted to explaining intricate details of the immigration bill and the Iraq troop surge, punctuated by several testy defenses of the legislative process.

"Do I think it's perfect? No," McCain said of the immigration bill, the air whistling through his clenched teeth. "May I remind you that the Democrats are in the majority in both houses and so we have to work with them?"

But during the question-and-answer period, some of the old spontaneous McCain re-emerged. The biggest surprise was a suddenly passionate denunciation of the practice of presidents filling their cabinets with members of their own party.

"In my opinion, the last president of the United States who went out and got the best and brightest was John F. Kennedy," McCain thundered, seemingly unaware that author David Halberstam had used the term "best and brightest" to ridicule the Kennedy team. "I will go out and get the best people regardless of party affiliation."

The place most in need of such a meritocratic appointee? The Pentagon, McCain declared, bemoaning the billions of dollars wasted on poorly functioning or obsolete weapons systems.