McCain Defends His Own Association With Unrepentant Criminal: It's Ok, He Went To Jail

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." Here is another segment of the interview:

Dave: Did you not have a relationship with Gordon Liddy? McCain: Uh, I met him. I -- Dave: Did you attend a fundraiser at his house? McCain: Gordon Liddy's? Paul: I object, your honor. Dave: We will be right back here... (laughter)

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.

In addition to the burglary - for which he served a four-and-a-half year sentence - Liddy broke into the office of Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers. He also admitted to plotting both the murder of journalist Jack Anderson - a harsh Nixon critic - and the firebombing of the Brookings Institute.

The parallels between Ayers in Liddy are stretched in the regard that Ayers was part of a group that did undertake bombings (though all of them were designed to avoid casualties). But McCain seems to be suggesting that an association is legitimate if the individual served a jail sentence, something Ayers, too, would have done had the FBI not mangled its investigation.

Liddy's relationship to McCain has ventured somewhere between the personal and political. Liddy donated $1,000 to the Senator's presidential campaign and has hosted him on his radio program. Media Matters for America reports that Liddy once described McCain as an "old friend."

In addition to addressing Liddy - for what seems the first time in this campaign - McCain was asked by Letterman if his running mate had really said that Barack Obama "pals around with terrorists." McCain, according to a write up of the appearance, "started to say he didn't know, then said 'Yes. And he did.'"

That line has been the subject of much debate over the past week, with Palin actually removing it from her stump speech after Republicans and Democrats alike criticized her for inciting already rabid crowds. McCain, during the debate on Wednesday night, also sought to downplay that angle, saying the issue with Ayers was not one of terrorism, but rather whether Obama was being fully truthful with voters.

Comments

[bluekatz]

McCain was so darn squirrly it was pathetic. Noticed who he lied and tried to avoid the ANIMAL WASTE Palin question on "Palling with terr0R*st. Dave was disgusted by his lies and you could see it in his reactions. How is one going condemn when they are in fact calling him a terror*st? McCain is truly stup*d nothing more can be said about this f00l.

[DWP]

How does this compare to Obama's association with Ayers? Guilt by association is a dangerous thing. Wll these automatic phone calls from the Republicans about Ayers and Obama. Well, let's see what happens if there are automatic phone calls talking about McCain and his associations. Or do these type of negative things really work?

[Torita]

What I still don't get is whether or not Sarah Palin and her husband want their state to remain part of the U.S., and whether they agree with the leader of their secessionist movement and are willing to take up arms against the lower 48 if necessary. I think this issue is at least as important as the Liddy thing.

[bluekatz]

Because MAINSTREAM MEDIA has FAILED MISERABLY IN DOING THEIR JOBS. If the they would have remained unbiased I can assure you Palin would have been out from the beginning. But since McCaincrap and Animal Waste decided to attack the media head on the little pu.z.zies whimped out and gave them a free pass.

[CP18]

Lower 49!!!! Just because she doesn't know how many states are in the union doesn't mean you have to be ignant, too!!!

[wndrwrthg]

I think that 48 is correct as Hawaii, like Alaska is not part of the contiguous U.S.

[nikky]

this is all well and good no other as well all other media has told the public how mccain if god forbid makes it to the white house how he can take this woman and her husband these people have not only consorted but he has been a card carrying member and she has endorsed and spoke at their convention i am talking about the aip this is a group that should ensure that noone associated with them should be able to get a security clearance something is smelly here why is it noone wants to talk about it

[vincealy]

Jeez the gas bags at CNN just could not bring this question to McCain . About Keating maybe Mccain answer would be..... Shame better questions from Letterman than . Brow, Wolfie; Anderson and the rest.Wonder why?

[bluekatz]

CNN SUCKS. CNN will not ask the questions because they don't have reporters they have card readers who have no journalistic abilities. CNN IS BORDERING FAUX NEWS JUST TONED DOWN!

[Mekarri]

nicely put.

[Mekarri]

The truth of the matter is there is a double standard in this country. It is ok for ignorant people to say all the mean thing about Obama and call him a liar. This one woman in the repub party made a foodstamp with Obama's face on it with watermelon, fried chicken etc and then she wrote a letter of apology and said she didn't make the connection. I would love to make a connection with her. This is still a very racist and vile country. The land in America is beautiful and breath taking but a lot of the people, not so much. Mccain, I suspect one of the biggest racist of all has the nerve to say he need Obama to repudiate what Lewis said. Well I think Lewis hit the nail on the head. Just because mccain no that it is not acceptable in public to call Obama the N word but his reactions and rehortic prove to me everyday this probably what he calls him when the camera aren't rolling.

[RhinoCrossing]

What about his connections with those who have yet to be convicted? Just wait, my friends. We'll find out more about McCain once his campaign is over and he's back to being simply the lousy senator from Arizona.

[BrandyBee]

So I get it , Its better to have ties to a CONVICTED Felon rather someone who was NOT CONVICTED.

It makes so much sense NOT !!!!!

OBAMA/BIDEN "08"

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

It's okay to be a terrorist as long as you're Republican and hide behind the flag.

[longislandlol]

neo-con radicals only repent to their lord in private after pontificating virtue in public

[nadiks]

HYPOCRITES or whited sepulchers

[Academic]

In the 2000 general elections the Republican adminstration in Florida illegally scrubbed over 20,000 black voters off the Florida voting rolls. Jeff Bush, Katharine Harris and later the US Supreme Court condoned this action when they colluded to have the recount stopped and gave no logical explanation as to why so many Blacks were disenfranchised. But everyone else knew why. Any Black who shared a similar surname with a convicted felon - regardless of whether or not he was related to that person -was taken off the voters' roll; convicted Latinos in Florida weren't though. I raise this issue because many US states debar for life a convicted felon - no matter when the "crime" was committed or how minor it was - from voting. Now that we know that John McCain's close friend G. Gordon Liddy of Watergate infamy: a man John McCain says he has high regards for and someone he pals around with - a domestic fraudster, murder plotter and everything else you can imagine in between - thinking out loud, is he also going to be debarred from voting on the 4 November 2008?

Professor Dr. Stanley Collymore.

[supportobama]

Check out this cover story from Rolling Stone, very interesting, actually shocking in many ways:

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstorymake_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain?action=rate#rate

[Wiserone]

Should we not apply the same standards drawn by the McCain campaign with regards to Ayers and Obama to McCain and G. Gordon Liddy? Liddy's advocated break-ins.. Firebombin­gs…Assassi­nations….K­idnappings­. During the same period that Bill Ayers was a member of the Weather Underground, Liddy was making plans to firebomb a Washington think tank, assassinate a prominent journalist, undertake the Watergate burglary, break into the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist, and kidnap anti-war protesters at the 1972 Republican convention. Yet, in 1998, Liddy gave a fundraiser in his Scottsdale, Arizona home for McCain's senatorial re-election campaign -- the two posed for photographs together; and as recently as May, 2007, as a presidential candidate, McCain was a guest on Liddy's syndicated radio show. Also, Liddy's instructions to listeners of his radio show in 1994 (around the time Ayres and Obama were on a board together discussing education programs) was how to shoot Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents (aim for the head). Is Liddy any less a domestic terrorist than Bill Ayers? It is a zero-sum argument, for sure. Yet, McCain's very real - and recent - symbiotic association and STILL praising of, never refuted actions for another (not Ayers) domestic terrorist emblematic of the Vietnam era too: G. Gordon Liddy. Never let it be said that the poison fruit doesn't fall from an establishment tree.

[whcjr46]

Is anyone surprised by McCain's response??? McCain is a hypocrite and his rationalization as to why Liddy is different is a bunch of BS! ...It's okay, he went to jail. WTF!!! Todd Palin's association with the AIP is another example, but McCain conveniently looks the other way. McCain along with his inept campaign advisors are a bad joke.

[kid5rivers2]

"It's ok! He went to jail!"
Guess that makes two of them.

[Bushwillresign]

The more popular response is "he didn't get convicted". Isn't that the one Palin used when asked about her Troopergate issue? She didn't get convicted so everything is all ok.

[exclintonsupporter]

Obama knows about Liddy...he is not the one who should bring this relationship up...it is the media...they are supposed to do "fair" reporting...every time McCain brings up Ayres...the media should say, yea, that's what he said...but he fails to mention his own relationship with G. Gordon Liddy...and then the media should inform the public. If McCain does not bring up Ayres, then the media should not bring up Liddy...

But in all fairness, if the media were the ones to bring up Ayres (and not McCain), then the media should also talk about Liddy...that is what "FAIR" reporting is all about.