Burned out of Solitaire a long time ago. When I was really into it, I created my own version. It would play itself if you pressed a button. My first real stab at AI. I could put it in a loop and it'd play continuously and track the winnings. What it taught me was that Solitaire was not a game you should play at Vegas. The odds were terribly stacked against success.

I never believed the Manchurian Candidate thing. However if you read the excellent piece Rolling Stone did on McCain's life history you can see he had a real propensity for leaving his pants unzipped throughout his life and partying hard. His wife was also a loose cannon and her family is in bed with very crooked people. Just remember that during GWB's reign they had the power of monitoring any word, email, etc. of any citizen in the US. My guess is they used it extensively on anyone they viewed as a potential threat and McCain certainly could have fit that bill.

McCain could easily have left the GOP and gone either Democrat or Independent and still had a real shot at power. They gave him ample reason to do so and yet something held him back. My guess is it was very powerful blackmail.

Art