John McCain may be forgiven for having a “senior moment” the other day when he couldn’t tell a reporter how many homes that he and his millionaire wife, Cindy, own. He promised to have a staff member look into it.

An appreciative Barack Obama pounced on McCain’s slip, using it to fend off GOP attacks that he is the “elitist” in the race who is out of touch with the “common man.”

McCain’s staff, however, cannot be forgiven for reports that the Republican candidate is squired by a fleet of cars to pick up a Cup of Joe at Starbucks. The Los Angeles Times reported Aug. 22:
“McCain, who huddled with advisors at his desert compound in Sedona, Ariz, said nothing in public. A nine-car motorcade took him to a nearby Starbucks early in the morning, where he ordered a large cappuccino.”

Those are two big strikes on McCain. Strike One: McCain fashions himself an environmentalist, but a true “green” does not waste energy by traveling in a convoy to get some coffee. If you must have a Starbucks fix, have a staffer order take-out.

Strike Two: Cappuccino? Members of the working class, a group that McCain is trying to snatch from Obama, just don’t sip cappuccino. “Cappuccino John” recalls President H. W. Bush famously ordering a “splash” of coffee. The first Bush also was criticized as seriously out-of-touch during the '92 campaign when he dropped into a supermarket,and was amazed at the scanners used at the check-out counters.

The L.A. Times is doing its best to restore McCain’s memory, or at least helping to make him aware of his family’s vast wealth (Cindy is worth an estimated $100M gained from the inheritance of her father’s beer distributorship). The paper reviewed the real estate holdings of John and Cindy. They have four homes worth $9M in Arizona, California and Virginia. The couple own at least four other houses that are used by friends and family members.

The AFL-CIO is also doing its part. It is running a poll asking people how many homes they own. Less than half (48 percent) own a home. Thirty-four percent of respondents do not have a home. Eleven percent can’t remember how many homes they own. That is a group ripe for the plucking by McCain.

The labor group also found two more homes owned by the McCains. It claims they own ten houses. Who knows how many homes the McCains will own by Election Day?

This blogger is going to make sure the Democrats don’t screw up too badly next week. See you after Labor Day.

(Photo: House2HomeIdeas.com)