McCain On The Run: Cancels Press Availability

Marc Ambinder reports that John McCain's one press conference of the week has been abruptly canceled:

The one scheduled McCain press conference of the week has just been canceled, we are told. No word as to why. Grumble, grumble.

Why? Scheduling. Which is like answering "food" to "what did you eat for breakfast."

Ambinder offers a relatively innocuous explanation:

My bet is that the campaign much prefers local and regional interviews. Us national press folks will ask qualitatively different questions -- McCain v. the press, McCain v. history, McCain v. Obamania... The priority here in northern Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional district is on getting good local news coverage.

But Ben Smith sees more, pointing out that Obamania is the least of McCain's worries right now:

Despite the press crowd around Obama, McCain's avail today was the one with more promise to make news:

He hasn't explained what he meant by juggling the timeline on the surge and Awakening (though his staff did the best salvage job possible); whether he meant that Obama was deliberately selling out the country; whether he shares his campaign's grievance with the press; or what he thinks of his staff's genocide-themed attack.

And now he's canceled the avail.

Comments

[theMightyT]

Can the Republicans strip the nomination from McCain? Is there a legitimate way they can say sorry gramps you suck we wanna go with someone else... is that what their convention is for?

And if so what are the odds?

[Mattjoe]

The Straight Talk Express has a flat.

[scouserinlondon]

Flat what......­.?

[kellygrrrl]

flat line

[CocteausTwin]

Chillinout post here if you are having problems.

[Jessegirl]

Bush must secretly love the gaffes- "looky here, us do-gooders sometimes like to 'word fornicate' he he"

[Jessegirl]

Hey, I really had to work for this one (above) people. What a girls gotta do

[Chillinout]

Thanks. But now that my entire profile has disappeared and HuffPo has sent me two emails thanking me for activating my account, (emails I received today WTF?), and several no-reply emails about contacting them, (I only contacted them once). I am going to go do something else for awhile and come back some other time.

So d*mn frustrating!

[CocteausTwin]

My profile disappeared two days ago. WTF is up with that?

Not only did your profile disappear but I am sure every comment you made to any article prior to that disappeared as well(as did mine.)

[genia]

The beauty of all this?
We....the dems......­have clean hands. No dirty politics, no outrages stunts ads or campaigns.­...no smearing, leering...
The right is imploding.­...they are doing it to themselves.
Sweet

[apogee2perogee]

Wonderful, isn't it?

[Catharsis]

I'm not inclined to celebrate the fact that the Dems can claim this now that conditions have been such for a wee, tiny amount of time.

[Kane]

McSurge cancels press conference. This sounds surgious.

[NochlessMonster]

Somebody fetch a sturgeon..­........

[scouserinlondon]

Have left him a messurge..­....

[CocteausTwin]

I am awaiting Al Yankovic's call back.

[Jessegirl]

Look I made it on but can't write more. S**t

[Perla]

I wonder how McGaffe is feeling about those town hall meetings right about now?

Seriously, I have to think the GOP is reconsidering McCain as their candidate.

[theMightyT]

Do they have a better alternative?

[amst]

Perla,

I do tend to agree. I think, as of this week especially, Mccain is showing not only his age, but that he is fearful of confrontation. He talks tough yea, BUT put McCain with Obama in any freekin' Town Hall meeting or debate or whatever. Look at the gaffes McCain has made without any assistance. Obama will draw circles around him and honestly, O will probably go gently on him because McCain is so slow, but he'd win hands down.

What would happen if McCain decided he simply didn't want to run? Or, what if nobody wanted to be his VP??? Ha ha ha.. Not saying that'll happen, BUT McCain has had a free ride all this time. He loved it when Obama/Hillary were still competing and probably thought, "This is a piece of cake." This week has been horrible for him and IF he chose not to have this press conference to day (and the fact I hear that a couple events McCain went to, had few people and one photographer), I am guessing it's out of fear. (yes our war hero maverick is older and more fearful) He simply doesn't know how to handle it and is overseers aren't crazy enough about McCain to put their hearts into saving him (if that's even possible).

[TAC]

"(yes our war hero maverick is older and more fearful) He simply doesn't know how to handle it and is overseers aren't crazy enough about McCain to put their hearts into saving him (if that's even possible).­"

He is way, way over his head in today's world. I don't see him pulling out of this tailspin, especially with his record as a pilot...

[Kaos911]

He didn't cancel, he forgot.

[CocteausTwin]

I guess most of you have heard about the secret "surge" by now. Well apparently there has been a secret redeployment of the troops. They are already home but there will remain 150,000 troops there for a hundred years. Yeah they are all home. The secret redeployment worked!

[RealityBaseCamp]

Ohhhhh... No questions from a group of reporters, but he'll go on Hannity. THAT will sort things out. I'd like to see the reaction if Obama made even one mistake, then canceled a scheduled press conference, but agreed to talk to Oprah.

[apogee2perogee]

Maybe they took Mcgoo off-line for some re-programming?

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

R*ove said he was the M*anchurian Candidate.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

Rove said he was the Manchurian Candidate.

[CocteausTwin]

He certainly needs to be rebooted or simply booted repeatedly.

[NochlessMonster]

Hehe.... I prefer the latter to the former....­.

[Kalima]

Make up your mind, McDoddle. One minute you complain about O getting all your press
coverage, the next minute you cancel your chance to bumble your way through another,
boring press conference. Someone must have been whispering "sweet nothings" in
your ear. What will we do without your daily gaffes?

[NochlessMonster]

If only his Maverickness had a mind to make up........­. and I am quite sure there will be plenty more gaffes to come......­...

[Kalima]

Probably a jealous rage and biting holes in his pillow. The maver icky
goodness is on hold as he looks for his bearings. It's so hard to multi
task, when you don't know your left knee from your right elbow.

[SCG]

No no , he took some time off to go dancing.

He's doing the "Sunni Shake" as seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12-PGr-8Jhs

[booker52]

Picture the worlds smallest violin and it's playing for McCain. Not!!!!! What a whinner.

[Maezeppa]

McCain uncanceled his press conference.

Sidebar: don't you just love CBS's "apology"? They say "We're not happy about it [getting caught]", and "mistakes happen [we got caught]"