There was a moment in John McCain’s panel discussion yesterday that sounded a bit like a commercial message, or some clever product placement. McCain was responding to something that REI CEO Sally Jewell had said about the need for solar power tax incentives.

McCain said he was wary of subsidies, and injected this parenthetical: “I have to give you straight talk.”

It sounded to me like, “I have to give you Straight Talk™, now less filling and even straighter and talkier. Available only from John McCain. Past results not a predictor of future performance. Ask your doctor if Straight Talk™ is right for you. Do not operate heavy machinery after a full dose of Straight Talk.™, "

But it was straight talk. And McCain’s campaign stop at a remote watershed was remarkable for something that should not be remarkable in politics. It was not pre-programmed; it was not a panel of sycophants carefully vetted to avoid dissension; and no one asked any question along the line of, “Senator, when did you first decide to be an undying champion of the environment?”