Over lunch this afternoon with glennhauman and gryphonrose, the subject turned (as it often does) to the topic of current politics.

It was noted that Senator Obama seems to be following much the same strategy against Senator McCain in the general election that he employed against Senator Clinton during the primaries. Put simply, Obama sits back — cool, calm, and unflappable — and lets his opponents self-destruct.

Then I thought about McCain’s self-applied moniker “maverick,” and his penchant for taking the stage to the song “Highway to the Danger Zone,” from the Top Gun soundtrack, and exiting to the theme from the movie Rocky. Obviously, McCain doesn’t realize that his symbolism is a mess here.

First of all, Senator McCain, you might want to remember how the original Rocky ended: The scrappy, temperamental white “underdog” got his ass beat in by the publicly lauded black man, lost the big decision, and ended up collapsing into the arms of a younger woman of dubious intellect and poor prospects who had stuck by him because … well, what else was she gonna do?

Second, don’t be too quick to invoke the Top Gun mystique, Mr. Would-Be Maverick. You might have forgotten how that movie ended, too: The feisty, hotheaded Navy pilot known as “Maverick” ended up losing in his bid to be “top gun.” And he didn’t just lose — he flamed out, crashed his plane, and killed his partner.

Who won? The cool, calm, unflappable “Iceman.” Remember the warning Goose gave Maverick? “They call him Iceman because that’s how he flies: perfect, no mistakes. He wears you down until you get bored and make a mistake, then BAM! He’s got you.”

Sound familiar yet, Senator McCain?

Twenty days to the end credits. Someone get the music cued up for Senator McCain’s exit, please….