Think Progress has a post entitled “After Trying to Steal Credit for Webb’s GI Bill, McCain Skips the Vote and Instead Chows Down on Chili in Ohio.” *** (see edit below)
The central point of which is that McCain opposed and voted against (first time) Sen. Jim Webb’s GI Bill. Now he is taken credit for the bill (which has passed but the president has threatened a veto). The sorry details here. John Cole correctly calls McCain the reverse Kerry.
Now all that flip-floppery aside, I have to take (partial) umbrage with the ThinkP piece.
He wasn’t just eating chili, dammit. He was eating Skyline. i.e. Cincinnati-style Chili, which yes is certainly in Ohio, but a Cincinnati-only creation. McCain was in my old haunts for a tele-conference with aggrieved Hillary supporters at Xavier University (go Jesuits!!!). He then went to eat at Cincy’s most trademark food creation.
I swear it’s in the water or something for us natives because we all are addicted to the stuff, but “fereigners” usually think it’s totally gross. [Wonder what McCain's reaction was---photos in the Think Progres link]. It’s more soupy, with the ever-unknown secret ingredients (undoubtedly some nutmeg and chocolate), no tomatoes. Just mostly the meat. You then eat it on spaghetti noodles (3,4, or 5 way: noodle, cheese, chili, onions, beans) or on a hot dog/bun (coney). McCain appears to be having a 3 way similar to the one pictured above except I can’t see any onions or beans on his plate.
McCain may have also learned this the hard way but for the uninitiated stomach particularly–even a local like me who hasn’t eaten for awhile counts much less a newbie–Skyline often makes one run to the bathroom….once, twice, occasionally three times in rapid succession. And painfully so I might add. Call it Cincinnati’s Revenge aka “It’s Skyline Time.”
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***In fairness to TP, they do acknowledge it is Skyline in the post.
