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

[osage]

What a bunch of cry babies! Are honest John and sister Sarah being treated unfairly by the big bad liberal media establishment? What about the Republican propagandists like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and the shameless sycophants and enablers at Faux News? Are they "fair and balanced" members of the conservative media establishment? Are they out to derail the straight talk express and caribou Barbie too? Who is John McCain going to blame when he loses the election by hystoric landslide proportions? Liberal lobbyists? Liberal fat cat corporate contributors? Liberal Iraq occupation profiteers? Liberal bankers, economists and wall street movers and shakers? Or how about moms and dads who have lost their jobs or their homes or their trust in the honesty and competence of John McCain and Sarah Palin?

[TRichards]

Old McCain left all the honor to young McCain -- who has evidently died. All that remains is a man who has come to believe that he is ENTITLED to be president and who feels that his entitlement gives him sufficient reason to play the mad dog.

McCain's purely political selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate (one heart-beat away from the presidency itself) disqualifies him for office. Clearly, he now puts his political fortunes ahead of the country and ahead of honor despite his bottomless supply of piety and self-righteous bull____.

[tydicea]

Like everything McCain says, what he is for today is certainly not what his position will be next day. This is purveyor of change? Running the Sleaziest campaign of the 21st century, lying faster than a used car salesman, McCain has become nothing short of a running joke and a national disgrace!

[EileneLepht]

OMG...Palin always licks her finger and holds it up mockingly to say Obama checks the way the wind is blowing when making a decision. McCain hasn't made a decision since picking her that he has stuck with. He has waffled on every single thing he has said over the last month. I used to question his judgement about picking her but I have to admit something...She is more qualified to run the country than he is.

[crispee]

Did he whine this much in that prison cell we always hear about? Come on, be a man. It's not like Gwen is the judge at your hearing. A moderator asks questions that both candidates answer equally. What does he think it will be? "Mrs Palin, your question is - compute to the fifteenth decimal the sum of pi times the speed of light. And Mr. Biden - if you were an animal what would it be?"

I mean really. If they have to be so scared of their candidate looking bad that they have to be sure the deck is stacked for them any time she is asked anything or have daddy next to her to answer for her -- then sorry, how do you think the 4-8 years after that are going to go?

[dct1999]

The republicans cannot understand how ridiculous they've made themselves look. All of their crying and whining simply proves that McCain and his staff are incompetents who don't know how to google. It also shows that they have absolutely no confidence in their VP candidate.

Is this a failed strategy or a failed tactic? Losers!

[pros54]

McCain "life isn't fair". Unbelievable from the son of an admiral whose fahter was also an admiral got into navy school because of who his parents were, only passed out of navy school because of his parents, quickly divorced old wife for younger richer wife with fortunes to make his political life and talks about the fairness of life? It just keeps on coming and world without end.

[dct1999]

Don't forget his mother is an oil heiress, and that he spent many of his childhood years on the family plantation in Mississippi.

Democrats need to stop acting as if McCain's life began when he emerged from the Hanoi Hilton. It didn't, but he has a vested interest in pretending that it did.

[Avembe]

so If Palin messes it will obviously be Ifill's fault and if she does well it will be a triumph over Dems' set up!!!

[JFaye]

Distraction, Distraction, DISTRACTION!!!

Strategy: Agree to Ms. Ifill. If the Palin "tactic" proves faulty, then we make more noise to drown out the real issues facing the American public. Furthermore, it opens the door for us to appeal on a "cultural" (Chris Matthews rhetoric for race) level and race-bait. Remember, the campaign is counting on the part of the base who are inherrently prejudice... particularly low-information voters.

Tactic: If Ms. Palin fluff responses prove insufficient are not well receive, we can blame it on the moderator.

Mr. McCain has demonstrated he is more about strategy and tactic than being honest and forthright in this campaign.

Distraction!

[35Echo]

And if there isn’t an “Age of Obama”, then doesn’t Ifill’s book title look rather … lame?

[paganmist]

Durr, this IS the age of Obama. He doesn't have to become President for him to have affected the entire country in a way that has changed it.

[trying-to-be-objective]

Well this is a fairly obvious strategy.

They've coached Palin all week to go out and be an attack dog tonight. Current reports are stating that she will focus on attacking Biden & Obama's records, rather than get caught up in the facts of the issues.

So of course, by setting the stage that somehow Ifill is biased, the McCain camp is setting up the post-debate outrage over Ifill's attempts to curb the attack rhetoric and focus the debate on the questions and answers.

Any reasonable attempt at trying to keep Caribou Barbie on time and on topic will be blown up as bias.

[MichaelinPhilly]

"Caribou Barbie" I love it! You should copyright it.

[KahneO]

Oh snap, Sarah hair is hanging; look out for earphone mic

[mpalm 1]

Anyone know if they check for wireless equipment?

[CabaretArtist]

I read an article whereby her husband always feeds her "tips/responses". He's a masterful debater. Don't forget she was an anchor and they are so used to having folks talk in their ears. ....

[CamBrown99]

Wait, are we sure he's talking about Ifill and not Palin?

[RRK70]

Wow, the way the McCain Group Inc. vets their VP selection and the VP debate moderator I wonder how they'll vet political appointments?

Actually this is to McCain's advantage, if the debate favors Palin then no complaint, if it goes against her, it will be partly due to a liberally and ethnically biased media! That's a win/win in Rove's eyes.

[AnneOlivia]

Look, if the McCain campaign cannot do their homework (or even a basic Google search on tonight's moderator) then they can just cry about it. Je-sus!

[35Echo]

http://www.essence.com/news_entertainment/news/articles/theobamasportraitofanamericanfamily

And the hits just keep on com'n.

[dct1999]

She wrote a profile on the Obamas for the Time Inc. owned Essence Magazine, so what? She will moderate the debate and the McCain camp looks even more like whining cowards who are not strong enough to lead. Also, they look amazingly stoopiiid for not knowing these things in the first place.

[Kiabell04]

His idiot @$$ didn't say that yesterday on CNN. For once, yesterday he was being respectful, and then again he flip-flops. I didn't see anyone complaining about any white moderators, and I've yet to see the McCain camp address the Tom Brokaw bias.