Money Bags Alert: McCain Unsure of How Many Houses He Owns

Posted by Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report at 9:34 AM on August 21, 2008.

Throughout the campaign, there have been various trivialities that have taken on enormous political significance. Nearly everyone can no doubt rattle more than a few examples off the top of their heads -- haircuts, arugula, bowling scores, lapel pins, etc.

But I have a hunch not one of these is as humiliating as this one.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in an interview Wednesday that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own.

"I think -- I’ll have my staff get to you," McCain told us in Las Cruces, N.M. 'It’s condominiums where -- I’ll have them get to you.'

It’s one thing to be so extraordinarily wealthy that you own multiple homes. It’s another to be so extraordinarily wealthy that you can’t even remember how many homes you own.

There’s been at least a half-hearted effort on the part of Democrats lately to characterize McCain as out of touch with the concerns of regular ol’ working American families. There’s been a more subtle effort to paint McCain as old and befuddled.

By struggling to count his own number of homes, McCain has done Democrats an enormous favor. I’ve seen some equate McCain with Grandpa Simpson, and I’ve seen some equate McCain with Mr. Burns. It turns out, he’s both.

Time’s Mark Halperin reported this morning that Dems are planning a “major offensive” on this, and intend to “hammer the Arizonan” over his comments. I can’t say I blame them. This is a slow, hanging curve, right over the middle of the plate.

Steve Benen is a freelance writer/researcher and creator of The Carpetbagger Report. In addition, he is the former lead editor of Salon.com's Blog Report, and has been a contributor to Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, The American Prospect, the Huffington Post, the Guardian, Crooks & Liars, Salon.com’s War Room, Political Wire, and Seven Days.