Video: McCain pushing back against the WaPo “temper” piece
posted at 12:30 pm on April 21, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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I’m not sure whether this is good strategy or not. The John McCain campaign has a legitimate beef against Michael Leahy, it appears, as Senator Bob Smith, one of the sources on the record for the story, has now accused the Washington Post reporter of exaggerating the incident Smith described to him. However, is this a meme that the McCain campaign wants to keep in the headlines?
Perhaps McCain’s camp feels that a charge of media bias will help energize the conservative base, as it did earlier this year with the utterly vapid New York Times story on his supposed romance with Vicki Iseman. However, that story really had no basis at all, while McCain’s temper is a quality to which even McCain himself admits. Exaggeration, maybe, but the WaPo piece isn’t a tale out of whole cloth — and it’s ultimately a very minor point anyway. At some point, it will be better to make the rebuttal quickly and then get out of the way to let the meme die a natural death.
Update: I’ll talk with Jazz Shaw on Mid Stream Radio at 1 pm ET to discuss this.
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Hey, at least he’s never lobbed a lamp or an ashtray at anyone.
CurtZHP on April 21, 2008 at 12:35 PM
You don’t wanna pizz off Col. Tigh! You saw what he did to his traitor wife!
Tony737 on April 21, 2008 at 12:35 PM
He looks like a crusty old codger to me. I’ll bet he does get pi$$ed off regularly. That doesn’t bother me, because I get pi$$ed off over politics all the time.
saiga on April 21, 2008 at 12:39 PM
Call me bad tempered again, and I’m gonna come down there and stab you through the heart with a @#$@$# pencil!
Lehuster on April 21, 2008 at 12:40 PM
At least any of the dead bodies associated with McCain were America’s enemies.
Connie on April 21, 2008 at 12:40 PM
McCain should appear on SNL and do a skit on his temper. There’s nothing like measured self-deprecation.
Entelechy on April 21, 2008 at 12:43 PM
We have plenty of dangerous enemies in the world who need a dose of put-the-fear-of-God-into-them anger.
Directly properly, it is useful energy.
profitsbeard on April 21, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Let me tell you something everybody should have learned from the Bush Administration: If you try to appear above the fray and don’t respond forcibly to these things, they will F’in bury you. Hit back and hit back hard just like the Clintons always have and then they think twice before F’in with you, especially when they are making it up.
TheBigOldDog on April 21, 2008 at 12:47 PM
I can picture myself saying that under the right set of circumstances….LOL!
TheBigOldDog on April 21, 2008 at 12:49 PM
And having a temper is bad because . . .?
rbj on April 21, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Take a silly issue that is easily disproven, of no consequence, and will rally the base add with free media coverage the day before PA primary and you get a good strategy.
murty on April 21, 2008 at 1:00 PM
Just as I predicted. Maverick will strike the Grey Lady with a retaliatory beaatch slap. Now, the Times will be on the defensive for the next few days. He’ll probably get another two or three point bump just like last time.
THE CHOSEN ONE on April 21, 2008 at 1:00 PM
I haven’t been following this, but I thought it was a WaPo piece.
amerpundit on April 21, 2008 at 1:03 PM
I predicted that response.
Limerick on April 21, 2008 at 1:06 PM
This kind of attack really pisses me off.
JayHaw Phrenzie on April 21, 2008 at 1:13 PM
He’s going after the Washington Post story because they not only exaggerated, but they lied. They didn’t like the truth, so they ignored the truth, and made up their own story.
RBMN on April 21, 2008 at 1:16 PM
Hey so long as he keeps the terrorists “off our damn lawn” that’s just fine with me.
HawaiiLwyr on April 21, 2008 at 1:22 PM
Yep. The days of ignoring crap like “Bush LIED” are over. Isn’t that a good thing? This reminds me of you guys who demanded that McCain defend Coburn against Obama’s smear, but when he did, it was a bad move.
I’ll repost this, with the Yeah, Gertrude, I do know McCain isn’t Washington:
Actually a great book review/article:
http://www.newcriterion.com/archive/14/mar96/mansfld.htm
funky chicken on April 21, 2008 at 1:26 PM
And damn. Bob Smith hates McCain, so if he’s calling BS on the story, well, the WaPost has a real problem on its hands.
Next thing you know the media’s gonna get Ted Sampley to throw up his hands and endorse the Maverick.
funky chicken on April 21, 2008 at 1:27 PM
Since when does propaganda have to be be truthful?
You have to be pretty squeaky for the worse thing to be thrown at you is your temper.
Just ride the wave, Maverick.
Hening on April 21, 2008 at 1:34 PM
amerpundit on April 21, 2008 at 1:03 PM
Me bad, I assumed it was the Grey Lady. However, WaPo is like the Grey Ladies’ ugly jealous younger sister who can’t get a date. So, in the end it’s really one in the same.
THE CHOSEN ONE on April 21, 2008 at 1:39 PM
Also,
As memes go, I’ll take the “John McCain is an angry man” meme over the developing “B. Obama is a weakling and a wimp.” meme.
JayHaw Phrenzie on April 21, 2008 at 1:40 PM
Call me crazy, but McCain’s temper has actually been one of the things I liked about the guy. Agree with him or not, the dude’s no phony. Piss him off and you’ll know it.
Sugar Land on April 21, 2008 at 1:45 PM
Bush NEVER fought back, and it was a huge mistake. I like to see Mac fight back.
JustTruth101 on April 21, 2008 at 1:59 PM
Let me have a go at probing Juan’s temper.
When is Juan “Keating Five” McCain going to release his wife’s tax returns? As I recall even John F’ing Kerry ended up releasing his rich wife’s returns. Haven’t the Obama’s and even the Clinton’s released theirs? If they haven’t, they should.
What is McCain hiding? Illegal contributions from her to one or more of his campaigns? Pay off $$$ from Keating-Five going to him through her? A little something from employers of illegals going to him through her?
What are you hiding Juan? What Juan, what? What are we suppose to think, Juan? Let’s have some “straight talk”, Juan.
MB4 on April 21, 2008 at 2:00 PM
The MSM is using the “Water on the Rock” strategy–they keep throwing allegations/charges out there to wear down McCain’s positive image which is held by much of the center-Left. That there is absolutely no truth to any of the charges matters not. Merely planting the idea that there are “a lot” of “problems” with McCain is the objective.
Sheesh I hate defending McCain. His candidacy has enough actual problems, as viewed from a conservative perspective. But the Left’s strategy against the guy is too sinister (pun intended) to not oppose openly.
baldilocks on April 21, 2008 at 2:03 PM
Absolutely right BOD, the days of ignoring the smears and lies is over. And I hope to God McCain hits back and hard!
4shoes on April 21, 2008 at 2:41 PM
He might say mean things to Ahmedinewhatever and forfeit the good opinion of the “international community”.
Lehuster on April 21, 2008 at 3:27 PM
If this is coming from former Senator Bob Smith of New Hampshire, we need to consider the source. Senator Bob Smith was ready to bolt the Republican Party because it wasn’t conservative enough for his view, then got “primaried out” in his next election. Say what you may about McCain’s temper, he didn’t bolt the Party only to come whining back a few years later, as Smith did.
There could be some complaints about McCain’s temper from a more reliable source like Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), but he’s not talking about it. Maybe Cornyn is willing to take his lumps for party loyalty.
Steve Z on April 21, 2008 at 3:55 PM