Ode to John McCain, Political Magician

Ode to John McCain, Political Magician

Ode to John McCain, Political Magician

With apologies to David Blaine, and none to John McCain, an ode to a political magician.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Herewith, The Nation introduces a new genre: hyperdoggerel.

The AMAZING McBLAINE
Will Suspend his Campaign
From the Apse of the CAPITOL DOME

For Seventy Hours
While his Nemesis Glowers
Onstage at OLE MISS, all alone!

He will HANG UPSIDE-DOWN
Thus inverting the Frown
Induced by Rasmussens and Gallups

(Though like any Magician
He’ll first have his Beautician
Bedizen his face like a Trollop’s).

He’ll he holding a GRAPH
Of the Market’s COLLAPFF
As it zig-a-zags DOWNWARD toward DOOM–

Which by Dint of this FLIPPING
Will shortly be Skipping
Skyward–Hey, Presto!–a BOOM!

Lest this Feat interfere
With his TRICK OF THE YEAR–
DISAPPEARING for Five Months or More

With NEVER A VOTE–
He is fixing to Float
Fifty feet from the Senate FLOOR!

His lovely Assistant,
Though slightly resistant,
Will be SAWED very neatly IN HALF–

Her UPPER part, you know,
Will be sent back to JUNEAU,
And as for the LOWER, don’t ask!

Why settle for Youtube?
I’m talking to you, Rube:
BE THERE, for crying out loud!

At the end of Day Three
He’ll take as VP
A Brave Volunteer from the Crowd!

If some Media Lib
Tries to peddle the Fib
That it’s all a Political STUNT,

Your Wrath please Restrain;
Take a Tip from McBLAINE
And Courteously call her a C**T!

UPDATE:

McBLAINE IS DEBATING!
Imagine the RATINGS
For all of the Networks that carry ’em!

Here’s why Interest has Surged:
He’ll Debate while SUBMERGED
In a Two-Thousand-Gallon AQUARIUM!

Disobey authoritarians, support The Nation

Over the past year you’ve read Nation writers like Elie Mystal, Kaveh Akbar, John Nichols, Joan Walsh, Bryce Covert, Dave Zirin, Jeet Heer, Michael T. Klare, Katha Pollitt, Amy Littlefield, Gregg Gonsalves, and Sasha Abramsky take on the Trump family’s corruption, set the record straight about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s catastrophic Make America Healthy Again movement, survey the fallout and human cost of the DOGE wrecking ball, anticipate the Supreme Court’s dangerous antidemocratic rulings, and amplify successful tactics of resistance on the streets and in Congress.

We publish these stories because when members of our communities are being abducted, household debt is climbing, and AI data centers are causing water and electricity shortages, we have a duty as journalists to do all we can to inform the public.

In 2026, our aim is to do more than ever before—but we need your support to make that happen. 

Through December 31, a generous donor will match all donations up to $75,000. That means that your contribution will be doubled, dollar for dollar. If we hit the full match, we’ll be starting 2026 with $150,000 to invest in the stories that impact real people’s lives—the kinds of stories that billionaire-owned, corporate-backed outlets aren’t covering. 

With your support, our team will publish major stories that the president and his allies won’t want you to read. We’ll cover the emerging military-tech industrial complex and matters of war, peace, and surveillance, as well as the affordability crisis, hunger, housing, healthcare, the environment, attacks on reproductive rights, and much more. At the same time, we’ll imagine alternatives to Trumpian rule and uplift efforts to create a better world, here and now. 

While your gift has twice the impact, I’m asking you to support The Nation with a donation today. You’ll empower the journalists, editors, and fact-checkers best equipped to hold this authoritarian administration to account. 

I hope you won’t miss this moment—donate to The Nation today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel 

Editor and publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x