Joe Biden talked a great deal about John McCain as his friend during the vice-presidential debate. Friendships between men are complicated; rivals can square off on the playing field, hit each other hard on tackles, and still be friends. I am a football fan and enjoy seeing the winners and losers often hug each other after a tightly contested game. Many of these guys knew each other from college, were once teammates in college or the pros, and are now squaring off against each other. They can leave the game on the field and return to the friendship.
It does not always turn out this way. In one especially contentious Davis Cup match (I am also a tennis fan), Stan Smith, playing for the U.S., thought his opponent, Ion Tiriac, playing for Rumania, stoked his home country's crowd to such a frenzy that the officiating became less than objective. Smith commented afterwards that he still respected Tiriac as a player but not as a man.
Biden and McCain, in the best of Senate worlds, maintain their friendship. They have been around each other a long time and probably do "love" each other, as Biden professes. Yet their love does not prevent them from going on the offensive and criticizing each other's positions on the war, global warming, and the economy. In an ideal world of politics and sports, when men (and women) friends square off against each other, they do not get personal and hit below the belt. Honorable exchanges elevate the level of play on the field and the level of discourse in Congress. I hope Biden and McCain remain friends after November 4th
