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You gotta wonder what kind of exposure John McCain is getting.

Arizona's popular senator has landed on the cover of two of the most well-known men's magazines this month.

First comes Playboy. In the same issue as a pictorial of "The Real Girls of Orange County," McCain — along with a number of regular citizens, celebrities and political figures — writes about why he thinks we're in Iraq.

McCain says the American people were not fully informed on the war. But we can't afford to lose now, he says. He also admits to being a neocon.

"In some way I am one, in some ways — in that the U.S. is the greatest force for good in the world. And we have an obligation, not to go out and fight and start wars and conflicts and intervene, but certainly to do everything we can to spread democracy and freedom throughout the world," he writes.

Then in a lengthy article in August's Esquire, writer Chris Jones provides vital detail of McCain's everyday life and possible run for president. That includes his greeting to a young staffer: "How ya doin', you little jerk?"

Jones writes: "McCain has the peculiar habit of expressing affection with invectives, starting with jerk, rising on up through crazy bastard" and culminating with a word we can't print.

"If he's not calling you terrible names, he doesn't like you," South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is quoted as saying.

At a forum Thursday night, Congressional candidates Gabrielle Giffords and Patty Weiss engaged in a spirited debate that left a lingering question: Is Weiss in bed with corporate health care?

For Democrats, that's a mortal sin.

After Weiss attacked a vote Giffords made a couple years ago in the Legislature — effectively killing an effort to penalize companies who have employees on the state's publicly funded health care system — Giffords shot back with criticisms that Weiss received money from the head of two corporations: JDS Pharmaceuticals and Aetna health care.

Public records shows that John Rowe, executive chairman of Aetna, donated $2,100 to Weiss in March. Phillip Satow, head of JDS, sent $2,000 Weiss' way around the same time.

The dollar figure is pretty small in the scheme of a political campaign. But the contributions are relevant, Giffords' campaign says, because Weiss has campaigned for universal health care and railed against the influence of special interests.

The Weiss campaign says the donations are easily explained.

Weiss' husband, Alan Gelenberg, helped Satow start a nonprofit foundation after his son, a University of Arizona student, committed suicide, said campaign spokesman Andrew Myers. And Rowe, who is listed as a "doctor," not a CEO, in the disclosure, donated only after learning about Weiss' support for universal health care, Myers said.

But the Giffords side says the donations undercut Weiss' stump statements.

"Patty Weiss has been talking a lot about special interests and pointing her finger, and she has taken thousands of dollars from the CEOs of a pharmaceutical company and an HMO," said Giffords' campaign manager, Rodd McLeod. "Those are special interests, so I think it's hypocritical."

Incidentally, today is the deadline for House and Senate candidates to disclose their updated financial activity.

Jim Pederson, the Democrat challenging Sen. Jon Kyl, has tapped a national political strategist as his new campaign manager.

Sky Gallegos will replace Mario Diaz, who is being elevated to co-chair of the campaign. Gallegos will focus on day-to-day issues. Diaz will be charged with the campaign's large-scale strategy.

Gallegos served as John Edwards' national political director for his presidential bid, as John Kerry's California state director and as the western political director for Al Gore's presidential campaign, according to a press release.