Why the media loved John McCain ... How McCain's irascible streak helped him survive torture in Vietnam ... From a "Vietnam-syndrome realist" to the hawkiest hawk ... How calculated were McCain's political shifts? ... Allying with neocons in the late '90s to fight cynicism ... Matt: McCain had "an elitist disdain for populist bigotry" ... The 2008 election and our current predicament ... When McCain was not particularly mavericky ...