The good people over at “The Tonight Show” were kind enough to provide a feed for reporters to listen in on Jay Leno’s interview with Sen. John McCain, to air later tonight. Unfortunately, the satellite feed (or was it my cell phone reception? It is very overcast in Phoenix right now) was at times very garbled. It was clear, for the most part, during what sounded like the most interesting segment of the interview. In it, McCain again brings up his time as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam in response to a question about how many houses he owns. He also says he does not like negative ads, and the campaign would not be so negative if Sen. Barack Obama had agreed to participate in the town hall meetings as McCain had proposed.

Here is a sneak preview:

Leno: Sen. John McCain, for $1 million, how many houses?

McCain: [Laughter] Could I just mention to you that, in a moment of seriousness, I spent five and a half years in a prison cell. I didn’t have a house. I didn’t have a kitchen table. I didn’t have a table. I didn’t have a chair. I spent those five and a half years, not because I didn’t want to get a house when I got out.

You know, I’m very proud of Cindy’s father. He was a guy that got out of high school, fought in World War II in the Army Air Corps, came home and made a business, and made the American dream. And so somehow, you’ve had Cindy on this show. The fact is she’s extremely generous. She goes around the world doing humanitarian stuff. She’s now in Georgia, as we speak, looking at the humanitarian aspects of the results of this Russian invasion. I’m proud of my life and my record.

We spend our time in a condominium in Washington, a condominium in Phoenix, some time over here in the state of California, and we have a place up in northern Arizona. My friends, I’m proud of my record of service to this country, and it has nothing to do with houses. But it has to do with putting Americans in houses and keeping them in their homes. [Loud Applause]

Leno: Let me ask you about these negative ads. I have to admit, I — everything seemed kind of OK until about a month ago. And then there was Paris Hilton, and the other thing with the houses. Anyone makes one little slip and you see something. But the American people, with the dollar where it is and with fuel prices, it just seems so ridiculous. Yet, these negative ads seem to work.

McCain: Look, we all don’t like negative ads. I thought the ads we put up were an attempt to be humorous — and I thought they were very funny — and also differentiate between Sen. Obama. I think that the tone of this campaign is very rough, I think we all agree.

What would help, if Sen. Obama had agreed with what I wanted to do – that’s come to town hall meetings together, so that we can face the American people. [Unintelligible] from the town hall meetings. That’s where we learn the hopes and dreams and aspirations and concerns of Americans who are hurting right now…[If we would] sit on the stage together, it changes the whole atmosphere

For the rest of the interview, you’ll just have to tune in to NBC tonight.