John McCain is quite the cranky old man in a TIME interview published today. But more importantly, this interview needs to be shown to as many journalists as possible. Read it here.
This is quite the exchange:
Q: Do you miss the old way of doing it?
A: I don’t know what you’re talking about.Q: Really? Come on, Senator.
A: I’ll provide as much access as possible …Q: In 2000, after the primaries, you went back to South Carolina to
talk about what you felt was a mistake you had made on the Confederate
flag. Is there anything so far about this campaign that you wish you
could take back or you might revisit when it’s over?
A: [Does not answer.]Q: Do I know you? [Says with a laugh.]
A: [Long pause.] I’m very happy with the way our campaign has been
conducted, and I am very pleased and humbled to have the nomination of
the Republican Party.
The theme of late is that the press knows McCain’s a good guy, and they’re not so sure about Obama (perfect example is CNN’s John King). They’ll cite Obama’s restricted access to the press corp, as compared to what they perceive as tons of access to McCain. That’s exactly why the press makes it seem like this election should largely be a referendum on Obama — because they’re sure that McCain is a “maverick.” They know McCain, is what they’d say, so there’s no sense in reporting that he might not be quite the maverick he claims he is. Well, I’d contend that they know the old McCain, but this new McCain is a separate entity unto itself, and this interview proves it.
If the press starts re-evaluating whether this is the McCain that they’ve come to respect, you better believe that such a narrative will be played out in the media. They don’t like being played, betrayed or locked out, and you better believe that it’s exactly what the McCain campaign is doing right now.
