ST. PAUL, MINN. — John McCain’s son Andy told the Colorado delegation that he knows it’s going to be a good conversation with his dad when the senator answers the phone, “What do you want, you little jerk?”
Andy McCain said when McCain disparages him, he knows his father is in a light mood and he knows the conversation will be lively. He’s sharp. He’s quick witted, Andy McCain said, and, he added jokingly: “I can make fun of my dad all day.”
On the first day of the Republican National Convention, a subdued Colorado delegation — while keeping their ears turned to television news about Hurricane Gustav — heard from the Republican presidential hopeful’s son, who is chief financial officer of Hensley & Co., a beer-distribution company founded by Cindy McCain’s late father.
“It’s kind of nice to see the lighter side of my dad,” said Andy, who lives in Phoenix with his wife and two children. “He’s very sharp and very quick witted.”
The delegates, who also heard from Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, said they were excited about starting the convention, despite its scaled-back schedule today.
Huntsman, who spoke about his devotion to McCain from the beginning, said the West and America’s heartland are critical areas in the election for Republicans. “As the West goes, so will go American politics for the next 25 years,” he said, in an interview afterward.
He cited the West’s energy wealth and burgeoning growth as reasons people in both parties are paying so much attention to Utah, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.
“You couple that with the hottest jobs are in the West, and it makes it a battleground,” Huntsman said. “It’s more important than a lot of other parts of the country.”
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to reporting errors it had incorrect first names for U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.
