Montini: I’ll take McCain over Trump by knockout

McCain would knock out Trump in the first round.

Early. 

The president may have a height, weight and reach advantage, but I'll still take the little guy.

Here’s how I know:

In the neighborhood where I grew up there was an old amateur fighter at one of the local social clubs who tried to teach local boys how to box.

Some of us took the valuable skills he imparted and went on to have abysmal amateur careers.

But it was the life lessons, not the boxing lessons, that were most valuable.

He said, for example: “The only people out in the real world who talk tough are people who have never been punched in the face.”

Over the years, I have found this to be unerringly true.

I’d wager that President Donald Trump has never been punched in the face.

I’d wager as well that Trump has never punched anyone in the face.

McCain, on the other hand, has been in a few scrapes, you can just tell. And I’m not talking about his 5½ years in a Vietnam prisoner of war camp or his battle with brain cancer.

Once or twice over the years I suspect the senator would have liked to take a serious roundhouse poke at me (deserved, probably) and I didn’t relish the confrontation.

But Trump?

Come on.

He doesn’t fight.

He’s the guy who pays another guy -- or guys --  to fight for him.

Trump didn’t like that McCain truthfully and in public pointed out the president’s “half-baked, spurious nationalism.”

So, on a radio program, Trump said of McCain’s comments, "Yeah, well I hear it. And people have to be careful because at some point I fight back. I'm being very nice. I'm being very, very nice. But at some point I fight back, and it won't be pretty."

It won't be pretty, and it won’t be him fighting, either.

It'll be the hired help.

If, however, it actually was Trump who took on the senator, I’d take McCain in a knockout.

First round.