McCain defends Kerry against GOP ad

Noam Scheiber writes in TNR's &c. blog about Tents, Piss, Etc., in which he refers to a Washington Post article detailing John McCain's unusual relationship with both John F. Kerry and George W. Bush:

When John McCain agreed to campaign for George W. Bush back in June, pundits rushed to reprise that old LBJ line about how it's better to have a guy like McCain inside the tent pissing out than outside the tent pissing in. But neither LBJ nor the pundits nor, apparently, Karl Rove realized there was a third option McCain might avail himself of: Inside the tent pissing in.

This comes after McCain felt it necessary to speak out against a Republican ad that criticised Kerry's war record. The WaPo tells the story:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) rushed to John F. Kerry's defense Thursday, condemning a new ad claiming the Democratic presidential nominee lied about his military record and betrayed his Vietnam comrades by protesting the war.

McCain, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, called on President Bush to condemn the ad, which was financed in part by a major Republican Party donor in Texas.

...

It was McCain who again came to Kerry's defense at an opportune time for Democrats. McCain, who challenged Bush for the GOP nomination in 2000, has become a central, if sometimes reluctant, figure in the campaign -- for both sides. Kerry courted him as a potential running mate after McCain defended Kerry's war record on national television. At rallies, Kerry frequently cites his relationship with McCain as evidence of bipartisanship.

Bush has turned to McCain for political cover, too. The day Kerry announced Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) as his running mate, Bush released a TV ad in which McCain praised the president's wartime leadership. McCain, who is to deliver a keynote speech at the Republican National Convention this month, has made it clear he is backing Bush and plans to campaign for the Republican ticket with one big condition: He will not criticize Kerry.