McCain On Ifill: I Wish They'd Picked Someone Else

Yesterday, John McCain responded to right-wing attacks on debate moderator Gwen Ifill (over a book she's writing about politics and race) reasonably, saying he thought the PBS correspondent would be "totally objective." But today on "Fox and Friends" he turned that endorsement into something more like a warning. The Politico reports:

McCain also went further than he had yesterday in responding to a question about Gwen Ifill serving as the moderator of tonight's veep debate, saying he preferred somebody else.

"Frankly, I wish they had picked a moderator that isn't writing a book favorable to Barack Obama," McCain said of Ifill, who is examining the rise of the Illinois Democrat and other post-civil rights black leaders. "Let's face it. But I have to have to have confidence that Gwen Ifill will handle this as the professional journalist that she is."

"Life isn't fair, as I mentioned earlier in the program."

McCain agreed to Ifill as moderator on August 6th, and her book had been public for weeks at the time.

Ifill herself has responded to the controversy:

"Do you think they made the same assumptions about Lou Cannon (who is white) when he wrote his book about Reagan?" said Ifill, who is black. Asked if there were racial motives at play, she said, "I don't know what it is. I find it curious."

COMPLETE VP DEBATE COVERAGE: BIDEN PALIN VIDEO, HIGHLIGHTS

Comments

[meshach]

When McCain said he'd prefer someone else to chair the VP debates what he was really saying is that he preferred someone white.

[Mattie]

yeah, everything is about race....oh my god stop whining!

[magggs]

"I wish they'd picked someone else, but life isn't fair..."
Who the heck is "they" John? Your campaign negotiated with the Commission on Presidential Debates just like the other side. Obviously your campaign had a reason to allow Ifill to be the moderator--oh, that was before you picked someone who doesn't know what newspaper she reads to be the savior of your lame candidacy.

[postman606]

You know what's scary? McCain senior campaign staff is so obviously inept and are often many of the same people who become part of a president's staff.

[darleneslee]

Why all the racial overtones and questions? Couric was White and Palin still couldn't perform. It doesn't matter if the moderator is purple, if you are dumb as a box of rocks it shows. If she picked up a book occasionaly she might not have a problem. We live in a complex world today and it requires a knowledgable person to handle these complex issues. She just doesn't cut the mustard, she only lowers the bar for all Americans.

[JenMI]

whine, whine, whine. McCain camp should admit sleeping at the wheel when they agreed to this debate and it's moderator and format. Besides, does America really believe that Ifill will not be fair? Please....

[losangelesgirl]

Ifil will be fair because first and foremost, her job is that of a journalist, not an author. I'm positive she knows that more people will be talking about her and her book if she is fair and impartial tonight at the debate instead of being subjective towards Biden.

Palin will need to put herself in gear in order to try to help McCain out of this poll rut that he is in. Good luck to her...she has to go against one of the most communicative senators in Congress and one who has more than thirty years of senate experience under his belt.

[MRb1000]

MCcain dose not like Gwen because she ask question like Tim Russert. She dose her homework. She will not let them off the hook. No she will not let them have a make up test. Do your homework or you will fail.

[apduncan1]

Is McCain scared?

[Topfeeder]

I'm going to call this one what it is, r@cist.
Because of Ifills skin color the McCain camp believes she will be unable to perform her job.
R@cism, pure and simple.

[tinatoledo31]

saying things like that don't help anything. she has a book coming out on inauguration day that is about obama. noone is going to care about obama after the election if he doesnt win. you are crazy.

[Topfeeder]

So says a fan of DesertLight and RedSt8er. LOL.

[SadiSays]

How is your post relevant to the message you replied to?
This one:

--------- "I'm going to call this one what it is, r@cist.
Because of Ifills skin color the McCain camp believes she will be unable to perform her job.
R@cism, pure and simple." ---------

Let's be real. Topfeeder is right, and your response to him/her was of twilight zone dimension.

[rustydarbonne]

The McCain camp's biggest fear is that Ifill *will* be able to perform her job well. They are doing what they can to push her off of that, to work the refs, so to speak.

[Awash]

This is the start of the Repubs playing the race. The other is blaming the Wall Street Crash on minorities.

[luvienne]

America should not have to dumb down for the Palin-mccain ticket.

[newyorkjoe]

Hopefully, McPalin & Co. will keep digging themselves more deeply into the hole they now occupy. Go negative, Johnny Boy! Give another interview, Miss First Runner-Up! Keep changing your tunes! Show style over substance! Try to hide the little anger-mgt. issue, Senator I-Was-A-POW! And by all means, make the media the enemy!

To my utter astonishment, American's seem to be waking up to several facts: Palin is a Trojan horse, and her innards aren't pretty; McC's negative attacks are just that, and, quite often, lies; Obama bears witness to steadiness, clarity, and an elevation of discourse; and the country as a whole is really, truly going down the tubes in every way as a result of Bush et al''s incompetence, insanity, cronyism, and agenda of war and theft.

McC's erratic, nasty, and irresponsible diatribes just stink of his predecessor.

Looking at today's landscape of wtf McP, $10 trillion in debt, 2 failing wars and economic collapse, I find myself thinking of the Beatles.

Around 1971, when the Beatles were each eyeballs deep in enmity, litigation, drug-fried brain and nervous system overload, John Lennon sent a postcard to Ringo. On it he wrote, "Who would have thought it would all come to this."

In 2000, when James Baker, Poppy, Jebby and their army of lawyers succeeded in their coup and had the Supreme Court install W as President, we all heard the warning bell. But, really, who ever thought it would all come to this?

[LAB10]

The campaign of drama queens continues to whine and complain. Imagine 4 years of two big old crying babies. And we thought we were sick of Bush!!!!

[rustydarbonne]

The good folks at The Daily Howler (no conservative blow-hards, these Howlers) have an excellent take on why Ifill should not host. See "One Side Fights, One Doesn't" at:

http://www.dailyhowler.com/

[dct1999]

The Howler is wrong, they frequently are.

[rustydarbonne]

Hi dct1999,
Specifically what part of their commentary on the situation is wrong? (Their posting makes a number of points about the issue...)

[janellrcarter1]

McCain & Co. really had concerns, they should have raised objections in July when a news release announced Ifill's book, or in early August when Time magazine published a report on it. But no, he waits 'til the the eve of the debate to start whining so he can (1) once again play the victim and (2) keep expectations for Palin's performance so low that if she can just make it to the podium without falling down, she will be congratulated for doing so well.

[rustydarbonne]

You're right. That's the point. Having Ifill there gives them an excuse. Why would they have blown the whistle early when they can let it sit and then pretend they didn't know about her book and - once again - play the victim?

And, as the Howler points out, there's no reason not to have chosen a moderator who has *not* pitched a book in terms largely favorable to Obama (as I saw her do on You Tube). It can only work in Palin's favor.

Don't get me wrong. I hope all of America gets a chance to see how unqualified Palin is. And I hope Ifill's book does very well because I like her.

But the sideshow will either pressure Ifill to pull back when she should not, or - if she does press like she should - the McBlame game will use the issue to their advantage.

[vsign]

Playing FAIR is not something Gwen Ifill seems to understand. When someone says (like John McCain said) that "life is not fair" - I understand he knows the secret to life. It is an acceptance that life is not fair. What do you guys think a person knows when they are captured and held for five years? Add torture. What do you guys think a person learns? Either acceptance or despair of some kind. This is what character in a person is. Acceptance that life is not fair.

Now when it comes to what Gwen is doing by not stepping down from her moderator role after not disclosing it publically, after not disclosing it to the debate committee, is not playing fair. But she must be willing to not play fair in order to give herself advantage. She may be a good journalist in the eyes of the public now - but this has tainted her greatly.

Out of the three persons acting out this debate drama, she is playing a compromised role already. Character?

[postman606]

It was the simply job of the McCain campaign to simply Google Ifill and find out about the book. It wasn't a state secret and not the first or last time that a reporter moderating a debate had written about a candidate.

[mysterygirl18]

You know what may this book of Ms. Ifill's go to the best seller list....and set records...


http://www.myspace.com/wakeupnowpeople

[rustydarbonne]

The worst thing for Palin on the issue of Ifill would be for Ifill to withdraw. That would deprive Palin of precious spin. McCain and Palin are going to milk it for all it's worth.

However, despite my felling that Ifill will be objective, given the book and the way she pitched it (as I saw her do on You Tube), I think a different journalist should have been chosen. As for comparisions with Lou Cannon and Ronald Reagan (1984, right?) I don't think it's the same. Cannon was on a panel, as I recall. (Tell me if I'm wrong about that...) And, even if Cannon/Reagan *was* unfairly biased toward Reagan, that does not make it right.

Don't get me wrong. I think McCain is manipulative and dishonest. (I'd suspect he knew all about Ifill's book a long time ago...) And, I like Ifill just fine ( and will probably buy her book!). But.... Of all the qualified journalists out there, someone else could have been chosen.

[MOMMASHANKS]

So, you, the presumptive Presidential candidate, are actually under the delusion that all of a sudden this Sarah 6-pack's IQ would jump several points and she will have all the answers regarding history, geography, foreign policy, economy, etc., etc., at the tip of her tongue simply by changing the moderator in the debate?? You have to be joking! I knew your judgement was poor when you picked this woman who does not even know grade shcool level information. But to whine about the moderator?

[mesut]

Go figure that one. Regardless of who is asking the questions Palin must answer them. She won't become a genius because another moderator is asking questions