John McCain has finally figured out how to win over the conservative base.
Get beaten up by the New York Times.
In a despicable hit-and-run hit job on McCain this morning (www.nytimes.com), the “paper of record” spends endless column inches suggesting McCain had an affair nine years ago.
When did the Times become the National Enquirer? I must have missed that.
The Times goes out of its way to claim that “some former advisers” thought McCain’s 1999 relationship with a female lobbyist was “romantic” and they had to “intervene” to “save the Senator from himself.” The Times article is like a Spanish telenovela. I feel like a need a cold shower. (Both the Senator and the lobbyist adamantly deny any such relationship.)
The Times tried to dress up its tawdry allegation by further claiming that the lobbyist, who worked for the telecom industry that had business before McCain’s committee, got special intervention from him. McCain says this is absolutely not true, that he never had an untoward relationship with this lobbyist, and that he has never done special favors for special interests or lobbyists.
The Times held this story for months—-because they couldn’t prove it. They still can’t, but they ran it anyway. The entire piece is largely unsourced, and when it is sourced, it’s from “anonymous” sources or “former aides.” McCain fired a bunch of staffers last summer when his campaign was tanking. No sour grapes there.
The New York Times endorsed him 4 weeks ago. For a decade, McCain was the Republican the Times loved: they loved that he stuck it to conservatives, they loved that he was a maverick, they loved that he gave them great access and was honest with them when he talked with them.
All of a sudden, he’s a villain?
In his press conference this morning, McCain answered all questions and was calm in a storm of hysteria. It speaks well to his temperament and ability to stay composed and focused when all heck is breaking loose. A good commander-in-chief? You bet.
Getting smeared by the Times is a blessing in newsprint for McCain. Not only does he get to show how he’d handle a tempest crisis, but he gets to be a sympathetic figure being victimized by the evil New York Times liberal empire.
The Times endorsed him, but now they’re trying to destroy him. One reason: because they think he can win.
Conservatives: unite.
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