Hence, the switch to a traditional, hyper-controlling style.  The change may have been absolutely necessary, apparently, as Time's set-up concludes:

McCain at first seemed happy enough to do the interview. But his mood quickly soured.

The McCain on display in the 24-minute interview was prickly, at times abrasive, and determined not to stray off message. An excerpt:

What do you want voters to know coming out of the Republican Convention - about you, about your candidacy?
I'm prepared to be President of the United States, and I'll put my country first.

There's a theme that recurs in your books and your speeches, both about putting country first but also about honor. I wonder if you could define honor for us?
Read it in my books.

I've read your books.
No, I'm not going to define it.

But honor in politics?
I defined it in five books. Read my books.

Honor?  John McCain unwilling to define "honor"?  Unwilling or incapable?  Because it's hard to believe he's unwilling.  John McCain just loves to yammer on about honor.  It's just that this time he's not being asked to yammer on about it.  He's being asked to define it.  And he can't.  And it's no surprise, really.  Because I think that if Nixon had been asked this same question when he first came up with his catch-phrase, "Peace with honor", we might all have been spared 40 years of wretched rightwing dominance of our political discourse.