Q&A: John McCain on His N.H. Victory

Republican candidate for President John McCain

Steven Senne / AP

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The morning after John McCain's victory in New Hampshire, TIME'S Ana Marie Cox interviewed him on his plane as he and his staff flew to Michigan to prepare for the G.O.P. primary scheduled there for Jan. 15. Excerpts from the interview.

Are you more prepared this time than in 2000?
I think we're more prepared and I think that we responded to the attack ads in an intelligent fashion. In other words, we didn't get into a catfight, we just, you know, we didn't get into a back and forth, we just quoted from the [Concord] Monitor and the Union-Leader [newspapers that editorialized against Mitt Romney].

Comparing your feelings last night to your feelings on the night you won on 2000, how are they different? What was your reaction?
I guess more nostalgia, you know. More, you know, that phrase that [speechwriter] Mark [Salter] wrote for me, you know, give me a chance to serve a little while longer, I think is the right way to put it. We all know that I would never do this again. [Laughs]

Actually, speaking of that...
It's obvious. To state the patently obvious.

Speaking of that, I'm sure you're tired of people asking you if you're going to serve one term, but you did say that you're never going to do this again because you're tired of it.
What I mean is that, again I have to repeat the same thing. I've known many, many Presidents and candidates. I've never met one that said I'm running for an eight-year term. I've never met one. And I'm not running for an eight-year term. Run for a four-year term, and then you evaluate, and then you move on. I understand that my age would be a factor at any time. I think those are things that you contemplate at the time, at the appropriate time that you're in office. So for me to think about whether I'm going to run for four or eight years, after winning just one primary, I think it's just something not on the screen. But I understand why people would...