Cindy McCain: You know who’s proud of her country? Me
posted at 7:20 pm on June 18, 2008 by Allahpundit
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More interesting than her remarks is Drudge straining to push this. The banal, noncommittal quote:
“I don’t know why she said what she said,” Mrs. McCain explains in an interview with ABC News’ Kate Snow airing on “Good Morning America” Thursday. “Everyone has their own experience. I don’t know why she said what she said, all I know is that I have always been proud of my country.”…
Asked by Snow if she would feel safe with Obama as president, McCain replied, “I would feel safe with my husband as president . . .I think Barack Obama is a fine man and Michelle Obama is a fine woman (but) this is about who would be better and I think my husband would be better.”
And the calm, measured reaction of America’s newsman, hip-deep in the Obama tank and eager to stir up a little outrage:
Bad idea to have the would-be first lady perceived as needling her counterpart, especially on a day when the big headline from Michelle O’s appearance on The View is how touched she was by Laura Bush’s graciousness on this subject, but what else could she have said? If she takes the Bush line and laughs it off as a simple misunderstanding (which would be odd, since she’s needled her about this before), it complicates things for Team McCain if/when they decide to make the “proud” thing an issue. “I don’t know” is the safest way to play it. Exit question: Has anyone ever before been “unleashed” by essentially dodging a question?
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Drudge is in the tank for Obama. So why should his headline (and the picture) surprise anyone?
Wethal on June 18, 2008 at 7:23 PM
“That depends on what the definition of is is.”
BILLY JEFF UNLEASHED
fossten on June 18, 2008 at 7:23 PM
Does Drudge get paid by news organizations for sending traffic to their websites? ‘Unleashed’ seems like an oversell..
justinok on June 18, 2008 at 7:24 PM
Good heavens! That picture is obscenely awful. Drudge acts like she started screaming epithets right in Michelle’s face. Cindy acted with dignity and class. To insinuate otherwise is poor journalism.
MB007 on June 18, 2008 at 7:24 PM
The last thing Mrs. McNuball needs is to be dogged by the unleashed comment…or she could unleash the dogs.
mylegsareswollen on June 18, 2008 at 7:24 PM
Druge has his gig. Spice up the stories and drive traffic…..it’s in the finest tradition of American journalism….since the industy was conceived.
mylegsareswollen on June 18, 2008 at 7:25 PM
Could John step aside and let his wife run in his place?
Conservative Voice on June 18, 2008 at 7:26 PM
Drudge is losing his edge. I rarely visit his page.
Zorro on June 18, 2008 at 7:28 PM
Unleashed? Like a dangerous animal? Sheesh.
This is nothing but ABC trying to make their Kate Snow interview into a headline news story, and Drudge is complying.
Buy Danish on June 18, 2008 at 7:30 PM
I wonder if John is going to condemn and repudiate her remarks.
After all, he’s running an honorable campaign.
Chump.
misterpeasea on June 18, 2008 at 7:32 PM
Drudge is yellow, but he is fast. Good to get the stories there first, but one has to remember to dilute his headlines with a strong dose of reality before knocking one back and clicking the link.
As for Cindy, I say this: Bring! It! On! She is smart, classy, and elegant, and she will continue to make Michelle O. look like a clown by holding her own poise and dignity sufficiently high.
steadyrock on June 18, 2008 at 7:33 PM
I wonder if him and Chris Matthews stay up late at night talking on the phone about the various thrills they get up their legs.
its vintage duh on June 18, 2008 at 7:33 PM
That is one serious forehead! It also looks like Cindy and Nancy Pelosi can share botox secrets too but that is all superficial.
I don’t like Cindy McCain. She comes off as cold, unapproachable, and unfriendly as her husband. She could have easily deflected the question with grace by simply saying “You’d have to ask her” instead of talking about the spouse of her husband’s opponent (who has personality issues of her own). It is clear that the grace which the Bush family has filled the role of First Lady isn’t going to last into the next administration.
highhopes on June 18, 2008 at 7:34 PM
I’m getting a little tired of this I’m more proud of my country than thou. That’s too vague and amorphous. How about – I’m proud of the U.S. Constitution.
MB4 on June 18, 2008 at 7:38 PM
I saw the picture and the headline on Drudge and was ready for some juicy spiteful rhetoric and I got exactly what you described, Nothing-a vanilla response to question designed to create controversy. That Cindy is a smart woman. She made her point without causing controversy.
I think the more interesting quote of the day between the candidates spouses was Obama’s answer about Laura Bush.
Michelle said, “There’s a reason why people like her. It’s because she doesn’t, sort of, you know, fuel the fire.”
I read that as Michelle saying that Laura Bush keeps her mouth shut and knows her place just like a good little “typical” First Lady whereas I[Michelle Obama] am willing to speak my mind.
Nelsa on June 18, 2008 at 7:38 PM
WTF Drudge? He either hates McCain, wuvs Bambi, or wants to see a cat fight.
ninjapirate on June 18, 2008 at 7:43 PM
Drudge Report has become a mass on confusion. He’s in the tank for Obama, but his editor is as right as it gets.
Rbastid on June 18, 2008 at 7:52 PM
The Smearer’s are firing up the smear engine,
what did Cindy say,I mean she says she proud
of her country!
Cindy,stay loud and proud,you go girl!
This is politics,however why are potential First
Ladys seem to be on point,yes they should be out
there with their husbands,but it supposed to be
their husbands taking the brunt,unless one of the
woman say something stupid,like Michelle’s comment,
for the first time in my life….
Unleashed?Ummm,how about the lovefest of Valeria Plame!
And again if the Liberal Party are going to engage in
this hit and run strategy of a Presidential campaign,
where,the Lefty MSM are going to run with every accusation
that the Obama Team gives them,then the RNC better get their
act together quickly to respond to this crap!
And please don’t tell me besides McCain,that there is only
a couple of people doin the election strategy!
canopfor on June 18, 2008 at 7:53 PM
Has Michelle O ever been interviewed and had one of the questions be, “Would you feel safe with McCain as President?”
I think that’s the headline they were hoping for. Cindy McCain says an Obama Presidency would be just fine by her
RW_theoriginal on June 18, 2008 at 7:55 PM
I saw it as Michelle trying to glom on to the respect and loving admiration the public has for Laura Bush no matter what they think of her husband. You make a good point that she doesn’t hint if she is going to be a Hillary or a Laura. My guess is the former.
highhopes on June 18, 2008 at 7:55 PM
Over the last eight years most of the issues I care about have been damaged not because Bush did something really stupid, but because he and his people did nothing to advance or defend their positions in words. They have let the left walk all over them. I am all for Cindy McCain kicking ass whenever she feels the need.
JonRoss on June 18, 2008 at 7:56 PM
I read that as Michelle saying….
Nelsa on june 18,2008 at 7:38PM.
Nelsa: Bingo,good point,Michelle’s past is one of
activism,there is no reason for Obama to go
any further in looking for a Vice President!
For all intent and practical purposes,Michelle
is, and will act as Vice President,she will be
more involved than Hillary was,its called un-
elected,and unaccountable!
canopfor on June 18, 2008 at 8:01 PM
Thats why I have removed Drudge from my links..
his website is worse than worthless anymore.
Chakra Hammer on June 18, 2008 at 8:01 PM
You call that being “unleashed”? Come on, Drudge.
SoulGlo on June 18, 2008 at 8:02 PM
Drudge thinks that if he moves to Obama’s side that he will garner more traffic. I think conservatives and republicans are angered by his love affair with Obama. As conservatives are angered by McCain’s move to the center or left, we now are angered by Drudge’s move to the left. Does he feel threatened by the Huffington Post?
jencab on June 18, 2008 at 8:10 PM
Cyber Cipher’s collie runs around here unleashed all the time.
Weight of Glory on June 18, 2008 at 8:17 PM
Zorro I am with you. I used to check into Drudge several times a day. Now i go there reluctantly once a week or so if that.
Drudge is like a Henry Ford situation: creditworthy for once bringing a revolutionary new product to the masses. But time marches on and Drudge is still making and selling Model A’s.
Mike D. on June 18, 2008 at 8:26 PM
Drudge isn’t in the tank for Obama. He’s running a propaganda campaign for Obama.
Beyond the outrageous fact of him placing Cindy McCain “on a leash” like a dog, he has completely misrepresented the facts. I never liked Drudge, but he is now officially a scumbag queer.
Jaibones on June 18, 2008 at 8:49 PM
I’m done with Drudge. It’s just not worth it. Any normal news site is better.
indythinker on June 18, 2008 at 8:52 PM
Michelle Obama is as soft as pumice and as sweet as a pitcher plant.
She and her tyro protege Barry should go home and learn to become something more than world-class cliche polishers.
(And then please remain in the Chicago area.)
One embarrassing run for an office you are painfully not fit to hold is enough larding for anybody’s lifetime.
profitsbeard on June 18, 2008 at 8:57 PM
I know she’s Ivy League educated but Michelle Obama comes off as “cleaned up ghetto” to me. It’s not her race but just the fact that she is so very rough around the edges despite the designer clothes and good haircuts.
highhopes on June 18, 2008 at 9:07 PM
Highhopes, you’re mistaken. if you’re an adult, you should know better than just a book by its cover.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-041408-cindy-mccain,0,5875170.story?page=1
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120951606847454685.html
juliesa on June 18, 2008 at 9:13 PM
“than to judge”
juliesa on June 18, 2008 at 9:14 PM
“She comes off as cold, unapproachable, and unfriendly as her husband.” I met her husband the other day at an event, and I can you tell you, you have no idea what you’re talking about.
juliesa on June 18, 2008 at 9:16 PM
Drudge is losing his edge. I rarely visit his page.
Zorro on June 18, 2008 at 7:28 PM
++++++++++++++
I haven’t been there in some time. Very tired page.
fabrexe on June 18, 2008 at 9:28 PM
I’m glad one McCain shows some fire on something other than slamming the conservative wing of their own freaking party.
Cindy may save us yet-being a beer baroness is serious bizness.
jjshaka on June 18, 2008 at 9:37 PM
DRUDGE SHARK JUMPED!!
Maquis on June 18, 2008 at 9:51 PM
Okay, you clearly have drunk the Kool-aid and believe all gthe lies that are the John McCain’s personality. So be it fut for the record, you really should note how McCain and his trophy wife come off to the public not that it was the truth.
Several people (independently) mentioned to me that Bill Clinton in person was a dynamic charismatic personality far beyond what you get in media coverage. If McCain and his wife fall in the same category I say that I’m glad to learn they actually have personality. That doesn’t mean it translates in the media.
highhopes on June 18, 2008 at 10:13 PM
Also, Laura cut her some slack about the “proud of America” comment.
baldilocks on June 18, 2008 at 10:36 PM
Meh. That’s it. Drudge is off the bookmarks. What a dolt.
Slublog on June 18, 2008 at 10:45 PM
My collie says:
CyberCipher on June 18, 2008 at 10:51 PM
I pulled the plug on Drudge. He has been slipping away. The lack of any mention of Rezko was also a factor. I can’t waste my time with a tool.
JonRoss on June 18, 2008 at 11:18 PM
Michael Savage warned all of us about Drudge. Did most of listen at the time? No! Anyways, none of this is surprising from Drudge. Maybe he’s laying a trap for Obama’s campaign and he’ll reveal that whitey tape…heh.
SouthernGent on June 18, 2008 at 11:32 PM
I’m done with Drudge.
Domino on June 18, 2008 at 11:41 PM
Dittos. He appears to have sided rather than just report.
Not much different than the MSM
Texyank on June 18, 2008 at 11:52 PM
I’m with you guys. As of today, Drudge is officially outta here.
100% positive coverage of the Black Jesus / 100% negative Hillary, Mccain, and EVERYTHING else in the world. I mean, gimme a break. At least pretend to be fair.
Jungliszt on June 19, 2008 at 12:29 AM
He said. She said. I don’t care.
Last is First on June 19, 2008 at 12:31 AM
Ha. I took a chance that you would catch that comment.
Weight of Glory on June 19, 2008 at 12:35 AM
So many think Drudge is in the tank for Obie, his site is a mess and he has ’slipped’
I disagree. Drudge is a brilliant presenter of news. I consider him to be the cleverest editor in my lifetime. Drudge uses tabloid headlines to intrigue readers and get them to read articles they otherwise would not read.
Drudge has a mean grasp on the type of headlines that get the hits. He has talked about the proven hit count of ‘200 dogs in House of filth’ tags.
For instance, he recently ran just a few of the many vague articles on the tomato salmonella scare. There is obviously a blackout on the source of the tomatos because the CDC is feeding out which tomatos you can eat but pretending it does not know which ones you cannot eat despite hundreds of victims.
But, Mexico and Florida are ’suspect’. Mexico is the chief competitor for Florida tomato farmers, and American Ag is highly invested in Mexican tomato plantations. Drudge linked an article that contained the zinger, a quote from a Mexican buying the ‘banned’ tomatos that Mexican produce is routinely watered with sewer water.
Recently Drudge ran a teaser at page bottom about the Chinese People’s Daily discussing McCain and Obama, with a quote about McCain versus Obama that made McCain look very very good and made Obama look weak.
The ‘Cindy Unleashed’ headline points to a dull article that IMHO makes Cindy look not ‘unleashed’ but good in a Reaganesque way. The interviewer tries to get Cindy to diss Michelle, but Cindy keeps falling back on love of country, and the article winds up with Cindy on tour for a charity that helps people get facial surgery.
This is the same charity you can see in infomercials starring Roma Downey, with pathetic little birth defect kids given a new life by caring American doctors. That charity is well known to couch potatos who love Touched by an Angel, and is a great subtle boost for Cindy with the Oprah crowd.
Drudge aint stupid. He is brilliant. He never feeds overt proaganda. He plants seeds. He never hits below the belt.
The Cindy Unleashed headline makes the reader anticipate a bitch attack. When the reader finds Good Cindy instead, it plants doubt about mean-Cindy stories floated onto the web, and sets up the reader to see Cindy as an underdog being unfairly described as a bitch.
The underdog is where Cindy needs to be, because she has a cold image. Drudge did her and the McCain campaign a big favor.
Because Drudge is that smart.
I love reading him. It is like a brain teaser. He plants real gems if you look. If you don’t look for them, they will find you
entagor on June 19, 2008 at 2:16 AM
I disagree about Drudge. He has not slipped. He isn’t in the tank for Obie.
I consider Drudge to be the most brilliant editor in my lifetime. He uses tabloid headlines because they work. He has talked about the hit getting ability of ‘200 dogs in House of Filth’ tags.
Drudge carefully selects the news links for the ones with the zinger, the factoid you would not guess from the headline. It is like planting seeds. When you find the contradiction, or the underreported factoid it makes a bigger impression than if it was in the headline.
For instance he ran a couple links on the tomato scare, which is obviously under a news blackout, as the CDC can tell you what tomatos are safe, but cannot identify which are not safe, except as ‘Mexico and Florida’.
Mexican tomato growing is heavily invested with American Ag business and is killing Florida tomato farming. Drudge ran the usual story line, but the zinger was the Mexican shopper stocking up on marked down tomatos who said because Mexican tomatos are watered with sewer water he wash all his produce with bleach.
Drudge just had a page bottom link to a Chinese Peoples Daily article about our election, which makes McCain look very good and makes Obama look weak. That link was a gift for McCain. He didn’t need a headline for that one, since China-Election was an unusual teaser anyway.
The Cindy Unleashed headline is pure tabloid and makes you want to read the dish. You are led to an MSM interview that tries to get Cindy to diss Michelle. Instead, Cindy keeps falling back to her love of country. It was very Reaganesque and made Cindy look great. It ended with Cindy going on tour for a charity that gives plastic surgery to kids with birth defect faces.
That charity is seen on infomercials hosted by Rona Downey, (touched by an Angel) who weeps as the pathetic kids are saved by caring Americans. It is well known to couch potatos and gives Cindy a big boost with the Oprah crowd.
The headline ends up making Cindy look like a misunderstood underdog and softens her image. It is a great plus for the McCain campaign, not a negative. They should pay Drudge for the help.
entagor on June 19, 2008 at 2:42 AM
I thought that too, when I met Sen McCain before the primary, I found her to be very warm and engaging. May just be perception. She is also prettier in person, and much shorter (same for her husband, at least the shorter part).
Squid Shark on June 19, 2008 at 8:08 AM
How can Drudge be in the tank for Obama? Did anyone ever listen to his radio show? The guy was clearly a right-winger, albeit perhaps one who seemed to yearn a bit for the MSM standing he felt he deserved.
He had a wrong-headed disdain for bloggers, but he was no lefty. How could he be in the tank for Obama?
Kensington on June 19, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Very nice. You are not a racist. Go tell everybody.
The Race Card on June 19, 2008 at 12:42 PM
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