John McCain On Letterman: "I Screwed Up" (VIDEO)

***UPDATE*** 10/17

James Hibbard of the The Live Feed reports that John McCain's appearance on Letterman Thursday night gave the CBS host his highest viewership in nearly 3 years:

The Thursday night telecast was seen by 6.5 million viewers, and received a 1.7 rating in the adult demo. That's the largest audience for the show since December, 2005, when Oprah Winfrey appeared. "Late Show" also topped Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" (4.6 million viewers) by 43%, and Leno had Joe Biden as a guest.

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John McCain told David Letterman that "I screwed up" by canceling a "Late Show" appearance three weeks ago, then faced a sharp round of questioning about Sarah Palin and his campaign tactics.

Not willing to risk the wrath of Letterman again, the Republican presidential candidate rented a helicopter to fly to New York after a weather delay grounded his campaign airplane in Philadelphia. He had canceled a Sept. 24 appearance during the brief suspension of his campaign because of the economic crisis, and Letterman has been hammering him ever since.

The band played the Who's "I Can't Explain" as McCain walked onstage at the Ed Sullivan Theater. After he sat down, Letterman asked, "Can you stay?"

"Depends on how bad it gets," McCain answered.

Letterman had replaced McCain with the GOP hopeful's persistent critic, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, on Sept. 24. Olbermann was waiting in the wings Thursday _ and McCain had a pained expression when he noticed that.

Although Letterman said he was "willing to put this behind us," he came after McCain hard with questions. He asked whether Palin was his first choice as vice president.

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"Absolutely," McCain answered.

He said he didn't know her well before choosing her, but that he was impressed by her reputation as a reformer.

Letterman repeatedly pressed McCain on her qualifications, asking if he was confident she could lead the country in a time of crisis.

"In all due respect, one of the people I admired most was an obscure governor of a southern state called Arkansas and he turned out to be a fairly successful president," McCain said, complimenting Bill Clinton. "Ronald Reagan was a cowboy, no experience in international affairs. I think she has shown leadership."

As Letterman pressed on, McCain asked, "Have we pretty well exhausted this?"

"No, no," Letterman said. "I'm just getting started."

Watch a clip from the show:

Another notable moment from tonight, via HuffPost's Sam Stein:

After weeks of hammering Barack Obama for having an association with a former Weather Undergound member, John McCain was asked Thursday afternoon about his own connections to a past felon: G. Gordon Liddy.

The question came, of all places, from late night comedian David Letterman, who pressed the Senator to explain why he was friendly with the man who was convicted in the Watergate scandal of conspiracy, burglary, and illegal wiretapping. McCain - according to an advanced report of the show - initially said that he "met" Liddy before adding, "He paid his debt, he went to prison, he paid his debt."

And yet, important to note in all of this, is that Liddy has been publicly unrepentant for his actions, much like Ayers. In an interview with the UK Independent Liddy said he didn't regret burglarizing the offices of the Democratic National Committee.

EARLIER: John McCain went to great lengths to ensure that he wouldn't miss this afternoon's taping of the "Late Show" with David Letterman: he took a helicopter from Philadelphia to New York.



After canceling his last appearance under the pretense of going back to Washington to save the economy, only to show up on the "CBS Evening News" at the same time as he was due on Letterman's set, McCain wasn't taking any chances. The Washington Post's Michael Shear reports:

After an hour sitting here in his Straight Talk Air waiting to take off for Newark airport, McCain was informed that there was a two-hour air traffic delay.

Without action, he would miss his Letterman taping. And this was the mea culpa appearance, in which he was to make up for canceling an appearance on the show when he abruptly suspended his campaign last month.

You can just imagine the jokes. It wouldn't be pretty.

So the pilot turned the plane around and headed back to the Philadelphia terminal, where McCain got off to board a helicopter -- the only way to get to Letterman in time.

The plan was for the helicopter to take McCain, his wife, two Secret Service agents and two aides to the West Side Heliport near 30th Street on the Hudson River in Manhattan.

John and Cindy McCain board a helicopter in Philadelphia, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008, to travel to New York City. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Letterman has been relentless in going after John McCain since he canceled on him September 24. Last week, Letterman said that he couldn't be sure McCain would honor his commitment to appear today and called the Republican candidate "squirrely."

Previously:

Rescheduling: He's "Being Squirrely," "I Just Don't Know If We Can Trust Him"
David Letterman, John McCain To Make Up: Report
David Letterman: "McCain's Problems Began When He Bailed Out On This Show"
David Letterman: Top Ten "Things Overheard At Palin Debate Camp"
WATCH: David Letterman's War Against John McCain Day 4: "Good Thing John McCain Blew Me Off To Go Save The Economy"
WATCH: David Letterman vs. John McCain Continues: "McCain Loves Bailouts, He Bailed Out On Me!"
CBS News Executives "Aggravated" By Letterman's Use Of Internal News Feed
WATCH: Letterman Attacks McCain Day 2: "I Feel Like An Ugly Date"
WATCH: John McCain Cancels Letterman Appearance, Letterman Catches Him In A Lie

Comments

[dcrinaz]

I agree with Keith Olbermann that David Letterman did a better and more in depth interview of John McCain, and showed us more clearly what McCain really is than any of the professional news reporters who have interviewed McCain.

Compare Letterman's questioning with Tom Brokaw's this past Sunday. Brokaw may have shown instances were McCain was being inconsistent, but then after McBush--sorry, McCain--made his sorry excuse repsonses, there was no tough follow-up from Brokaw. No deeper probing. No attempt to get at the truth. Letterman showed up not only John McCain but also our namby-pamby news media.

Letterman did do follow-ups to his questions, which were tough and put McCain on the spot many times. Never once was Letterman disrespectful, but he did press hard. It was the toughest interview given to a presidential candidate. Maybe NBC should hire Letterman to do Meet the Press.

The Letterman interviewer showed the real John McCain: he is an overly ambitious prevaricator who will do or say anything to gain power. David Letterman is to be credited for doing what our news media has forgotten to do: get at the truth.

[Icantbelieveher]

I'm thrilled he had so many people watching. I'm hoping they went straight to the computer and entered the name G. Gordon Liddy and his friendship with McCain!!!

[imsosure]

Good for Letterman but can't say it was good for much else.

[LeBeau59741]

I'm having trouble with his joke about asking his son (currently deployed in the Middle East) to "FedEx a flack jacket, but it didn't get here in time"... McCain's voting record with regard to proper safety equipment for our troops is shameful, and I think it in poor taste to even joke about asking a soldier to provide a flack jacket.

[jaslyn]

Is he comparing Palin to Clinton and Ronald Reagan? That's quite a stretch; I'd venture to say it's a little more than the often repeated 'reach across the aisle' that he so often claims to do. The woman is a black hole when it comes to actually being well versed in what's going on in the world. Clinton had a law background and at least understood when he was breaking laws. She clearly doesn't. She was a huge mistake and will be the final nail in his coffin and he has only himself to blame.

[bonchesva]

Who would want this man to run our country? His respose "I screwed up" sounds so much like somehing George W. Bush would say, and yet the man wonders why Obama's campaign keeps comparing him to Bush!? Some Americans might accept that anwer, "I screwed up." Not me!

[jaslyn]

And is that what he's also gonna say after he's in office 4 years and the country is in shambles and in deeper debt than we are now? I screwed up? keep practicing those words Senator.

[freereader]

McCain is a dummy. Now he says he screwed up. Yet, he called on Obama to suspend his campaign and go to Washington to do nothing like him. Thank God Obama had better judgement and foresight to know better. When he suspended it, he didn't think it was a joke. Now he is laughing about it. He will make a horrible president. He has turned this thing topsy-turvy.

[seattlejanet]

Yes McCain...you HAVE screwed up. In just about every way possible.

[SheriChardonnay]

Obama should go on snl and letterman right before the election...do snl that saturday and letterman that thurs night before tues..every one go suggest this to obama!

[linwessels]

Only the HuffPost could rationalize comparing robbing the DNC to bombing innocent civilians as if they'd uncovered something! Incredible. Absolutley incredible!!

[LeBeau59741]

The only people ever killed or gravely injured by the actions of the Weather Underground were the three Weathermen killed when a bomb they were building was inadvertantly discharged.

I'm not defending their tactics, but they never actually "bombed innocent civilians" , their actions, right or wrong, did not do nearly the long range harm to this country that the Watergate affair did and neither Ayers nor Obama ever suggested that ATF agents be shot in the head in order to avoid the impediment of their body armour.

[DorkimusMaximus]

It's about the ridiculously faulty logic of "guilt by association".

[kathy001]

At least get your facts straight before you let loose your oh, so righteous indignation and melodrama. The Weather Underground never targeted people of any kind and, in fact, never did kill anyone outside of their own members. Their intent was to destroy property.

[LAB11]

The mention of Liddy's name caused McSame to make the weirdest sound ever. Does he have no control over himself? They had to cut to commercial before he could collect himself and answer! He's a mess.

[LeBeau59741]

Did you LOVE the "I've met him"
And this from the man trying to win an election by taking one sentence from a perfectly valid answer from Obama about how he knows Ayers and pretending that that one sentence was the full extent of the answer

[LemonMeringue]

Letterman was awesome. Letterman was more presidential in that segment than McCain.

A lot of people heard Letterman challenge McCain about Gordon Liddy. That's good because the rest of the lame MSM won't do it.

[littlepuffycloud]

'he took a helicopter from Philadelphia to New York.' HE should stop babbling about Global Warming and caring about the environment. Lying pos...

[absolument]

Excellent! I'm sure Letterman's network has satellite-based video conferencing capabilities in both cities. McCain is just not a smart man. He lacks the creative thinking ability to take advantage of *existing* technology, modify his habits a little, and consume less. All he knows how to do is preach to others, about how *we* should save the world.

[BluePride]

The Ballad of Johnny McCain...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDceTz3UAgI

[BetterDays]

Letterman needed a softer touch and lighter tone in order to have the most impact. I am an Obama supporter but had a hard time watching Dave. He seemed brutal for a comedy show. The questions were unforgiving and more appropriate for the MSM. On the other hand, it isn't like the MSM is asking the tough questions.

[T-Bear]

Letterman has never backed down from hard questions, so why should McCain be the exception? I did not think it was very brutal to ask a candidate about his own associations when he is alleging very inflammatory accusations about his opposition.

[protagonia]

Letterman did the patriotic thing in giving McCain the works.

That is what being American looks like.

[LemonMeringue]

McCain earned it!

[DivergentMary]

Somebody's got to do it . . .

[jaslyn]

I guess the lesson is, don't mess with Dave!!!