McCain's 57 Houses

Some leftward commentators, and the Obama campaign, are making an issue out of the fact that, when asked, John McCain did not know how many houses he owned.

Why do they think this reflects badly on him?

Is their argument that being rich is disreputable? Only to a confirmed Marxist; but if so, how can they endorse Barack Obama, John Kerry, John Edwards, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Al Gore, or Ted Kennedy?

Is it that his inability to give a number suggests he is out of touch with his own financial affairs? I think that argues in his favour: to me, it makes it look as though he is less interested in his own financial situation than in the business of the country. I'd prefer a public official who kept his own financial interests at arm's length. That's why many put theirs into a blind trust.

I'd be rather more alarmed if, say, he did not know how many states there were in the US.