I can’t help but think that this incident is part of a deliberate strategy by the McCain Campaign:
NEW ORLEANS — Senator John McCain got a question at a town hall meeting this morning in Atlanta that he never has addressed publicly before: Since Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, had approached Mr. McCain about being his running mate for the White House in 2004, would Mr. McCain now return the favor?
Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, who has long been viewed by many conservatives as a Democratic sympathizer, quickly said no — and just as quickly said he had never considered sharing the ticket in 2004 with Mr. Kerry, a friend of his.
(…)
Later, aboard his campaign plane, when Mr. McCain was asked about the conversation – and why he said in an interview with The New York Times in May 2004 that he had not even had a casual conversation with Mr. Kerry on the topic – Mr. McCain displayed some of the temper that he has largely kept under control in this campaign.
“Everybody knows I had a conversation,’’ he angrily told this reporter as his plane as it headed from Atlanta to New Orleans. “Everybody knows that, that I had a conversation. There’s no living American in Washington, there’s no one, and you know it, too. You know it. You know it. So I don’t even know why you asked.’’
When asked to address when the conversation with Mr. Kerry occurred, Mr. McCain once again angrily replied, “No, no, because the issue is closed as far as I’m concerned. Everybody knows it. Everybody knows it in America.’’
Why do I say deliberate strategy ? Well, because there are few media organs hated more by red-meat conservatives than The New York Times. And, in the space of two weeks we’ve seen them run a badly-sourced, unsupported story allegation an improper relationship with a female lobbyist, along with a bizarre story questioning whether McCain was Constitutionally eligible to be President, and now this.
I could be wrong, but it certainly can’t hurt McCain with the one constituency he still has to convince to be seen going up against the Grey Lady.
