Source: Oregonian 
Following on a Washington Post report about the notorious McCain temper, Oregonian columnist Jeff Mapes reflects today on a display of he saw over a decade ago when the Arizona senator was invited to speak to one of Oregon's most notorious anti-gay groups.

The columnist also includes a clip from a story he wrote about the appearance in 1993 that includes this:

The Republican senator, under fire from gay activists back home for aiding the OCA, never directly addressed the group's sponsorship of several anti-gay-rights ballot measures.

But McCain made it clear that, while he is a conservative, he has a different perspective on the issue.
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`We must be careful to prevent the false perception that Republicans have constituted themselves as the private advocacy group of only some Americans,'' McCain said, "be they of one economic class, one race, one religion or of one particular character."

About 30 gay-rights activists picketed McCain's appearance at the Portland Airport Holiday Inn.

"For a Republican like McCain to help an organization that is the most divisive in the state and the most divisive in the Republican Party is a real slap in the face," said protestor Lee Coleman, a member of Log Cabin Oregon, a group of gay Republicans.

Today's reflections:

McCain was visiting Portland to speak at a political dinner, and he clearly wasn't happy to be doing it. Back in 1991, McCain had agreed to help out a small conservative group, the Oregon Citizens Alliance, which had decided not to run a third-party candidate against then-Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore.

In 1992, however, the OCA ran an anti-gay ballot measure that attracted national attention and turned even many Republicans away from the group. After McCain agreed to attend the 1993 fundraiser for the OCA, an Arizona newspaper columnist headlined it this way: "Hate group finds friend in McCain." Then-Sen. Mark O. Hatfield, R-Ore., encouraged McCain to back out, but McCain felt he couldn't.

In such a situation, many politicians would simply pour on the charm and the candor - smilingly telling reporters that this was an opportunity to encourage a conservative group to be open-hearted and tolerant.

McCain didn't do that. He worked his way through a crowd of reporters as quickly as he could, sarcastically turning aside their questions. When asked if he was concerned about speaking to a group like the OCA, McCain replied, "No, are you?" When asked if he was worried about being labeled anti-gay, he said, "I don't think I need to respond to that stupid question."

McCain was more diplomatic in front of the OCA members, delivering a carefully worded speech that reminded listeners that the U.S. is "not only a Christian nation" and that, "We must be careful to prevent the false perception that Republicans have constituted themselves as the private advocacy group of only some Americans, be they of one economic class, one race, one religion or of one particular character.''

At the end, OCA Chairman Lon Mabon could say he found nothing to disagree with in the speech and McCain hustled back to the airport. I'll leave it to others to decide what to make of his OCA appearance (I'm including two old clips after the jump; one of my coverage of the event and a later piece I wrote back when I did a Sunday analysis column, in the pre-internet days).

Full article: I've seen John McCain's temper - Jeff Mapes on Politics - OregonLive.com

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