Howard Kurtz, Jan. 21, 2008:

McCain talked about the beauty of Greenville’s minor-league baseball stadium. He recounted his time drinking vodka with Hillary Clinton in Estonia.

Howard Kurtz, Oct. 20, 2006:

Act Two involved a dinner between Clinton and McCain and two other senators during a trip to Estonia two years ago, when Hillary suggested a vodka-drinking contest and McCain was said to have a fine old time.

But when McCain was asked about this on “Hannity & Colmes,” he said it never happened. “I’m glad to hear, Senator, you weren’t drinking shots with Senator Clinton,” said an apparently relieved Sean Hannity. McCain also told Jay Leno the incident never happened.

But the Atlantic’s Josh Green chatted up the senator and “McCain lit up at the recollection. ‘It’s been 50 years since I’d been in a drinking game,’ said McCain. … He added, admiringly, ‘She can really hold her liquor.’ ”

That prompted Dowd to call Mr. Straight Talk’s office, where an (anonymous) aide explained: “After dinner, they had drinks. It was not a drinking contest, the way you and I think of a drinking contest. John had two drinks.”

Doesn’t that sound…rather Clintonian? It all depends on the meaning of the word contest . Let’s hope McCain takes a more sober approach to describing his nightlife …