At old high school, McCain addresses temper issue

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) sought to reassure voters Tuesday that he is aware of a temper that has at times rubbed even members of his own party the wrong way.

Speaking at his alma mater, Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., the GOP presidential nominee spoke about education and acknowledged that his childhood as the son of a naval officer made him combative throughout his life.

{mosads}At the height of the GOP presidential race, Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) both publicly criticized McCain for his temper and vitriol.

Cochran had told The Boston Globe that the possibility of electing an “erratic” and “hot-headed” McCain to the White House “sends a cold chill down my spine.”

The Arizona senator admitted that “as an adult I’ve been known to forget occasionally the discretion expected of a person of my years and station when I believe I’ve been accorded a lack of respect I did not deserve.

“Self-improvement should be a work in progress all our lives, and I confess to needing it as much as anyone,” McCain said. “But I believe if my detractors had known me at Episcopal they might marvel at the self-restraint and mellowness I developed as an adult.”