In an interview that John McCain gave to local radio in St. Louis, McCain says that he was "astonished" to hear Barack Obama say recently that he was reluctant to bring up Ayers to Obama's face, and promises that he'll raise the subject at tomorrow's debate.
The key news in the interview -- which was flagged by Mark Halperin and which you can listen to here -- is that McCain is already laying the groundwork to blame Obama for his apparent decision to confront Obama over Ayers tomorrow.
Asked by his radio host if he'll bring up the former Weatherman, McCain says:
"Oh, yeah. Y'know, I was astonished to hear him say that he was surprised for me to have the guts to do that, because the fact is that the question didn't come up in that fashion. So, y'know, and I think he's probably ensured that it will come up this time. And, look Mark, it's not that I give a damn about some old washed-up terrorist..."
It's Obama who has "probably ensured" that McCain will bring up Ayers. What's so lovely about this is that McCain is now portraying his apparent decision to hit on the Ayers association as driven by a need to defend his honor.
You see, McCain wouldn't have brought it up, but Obama questioned his manhood, so he's now forced to overcome his reluctance to talk about Ayers in order to defend himself. It's the old warrior's code that's making him do it.