In the Times (which may be the paper of record but, as I was intoning to some of the lively and charming guests at last night’s party for Daniel Radosh’s new book, Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture, should still not be referred to as “the paper”), Neal Gabler reflects on the curious camaraderie of John McCain’s populous tour bus.

In the piece, Gabler muses that McCain “may be the first real postmodernist candidate for the presidency,” and makes note of Ryan Lizza’s lucid story on the subject, which was, for me, the clearest window into McCain’s brain (not to be confused with Reagan’s brain) yet.

I read somewhere that Lizza said the bus is a germ parade—perhaps it should be nicknamed the Stray Bug Express—and everyone on it is constantly ailing. Hope he, and they, are feeling better! Yes, even the Republicans.