Top McCain Aide Secretly Fired Last Week For "Trashing" Staffers

CNN reports that senior McCain aide, and chief foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann was fired a week before Election Day for "trashing" McCain staffers to the press over their handling of Sarah Palin:

Randy Scheunemann, a senior foreign policy adviser to John McCain, was fired from the Arizona senator's campaign last week for what one aide called "trashing" the campaign staff, three senior McCain advisers tell CNN.

One of the aides tells CNN that campaign manager Rick Davis fired Scheunemann after determining that he had been in direct contact with journalists spreading "disinformation" about campaign aides, including Nicolle Wallace and other officials.

The New York Times adds that the McCain campaign pegged Bill Kristol as the most likely recipient of Scheunemann's attacks against fellow McCain staffers:

Whatever the permutations, the advisers said they strongly believed that Mr. Scheunemann was disclosing, as one put it, "a constant stream of poison" to William Kristol, the editor of the conservative Weekly Standard and a columnist for The New York Times.

Mr. Kristol, who wrote a column on Oct. 13 calling on Mr. McCain to fire his campaign because it was "close to being out-and-out dysfunctional," said in a telephone interview on Wednesday that the campaign advisers were paranoid. Mr. Kristol has been a strong supporter of Ms. Palin.

"I wasn't writing poison," Mr. Kristol said. He added that "Randy Scheunemann is a friend of mine and I think he did a good job. I talked to him, but I talked to a lot of people at the campaign."

Scheunemann himself disputes that he was fired. Fellow aide Michael Goldfarb tries to back him up, and doesn't really succeed:

However, Goldfarb did concede that Scheunemann's campaign e-mail was cut off, and his blackberry was taken away late Friday. Goldfarb admits that senior McCain aides were mad at Scheunemann, and wanted to fire him, but he insists they stopped short of that, and instead simply turned off his campaign communication.

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Comments

[jenrose]

He couldnt even get a job at McDonalds because they require 3 interviews. Palin wouldnt either or the first dude? If they cant read then maybe they cant count either?

[MadxAsxHell]

So he got fired a week before he was going to get fired anyway....­BFD. Yesterday was:
"THE DAY AFTER"

By yesterday, McCain's Secret Service detail was withdrawn and he was driving himself and Lindsey Graham in his SUV.

His campaign melted away yesterday like butter under boiling water.

That's how it is. Back to the Senate.

[supergranny]

I guess that whole prayer for the presidency was undone by their basic nasty infighting.

[mikeVA]

Military Deaths
Period US UK Other* Total Days Avg
Total 4191 176 138 4505 2056 2.19

[EvasDaddy]

This is all funny stuff, but not actually news to those who understand how the Republicans operate. It is precisely why we all worked so hard to get them out of power.

Many citizens did not, and may STILL not know, that the Republican Party has been taken over by extremists.

We have succeeded in routing them, and it is vitally important that they be kept out of power until they straighten up and fly right.

We must, as President Obama has intimated, take the high road, and be sure that we do not fall to the temptations of power. It is time for healing and "reaching across the aisle", but on the terms of rationality.

It is time to rout the cheaters, the liars, the manipulators, and the extreme.

Sarah Palin is most definitely fair game, as she is being touted as a future presidential candidate. She is not qualified now, and will not be qualified in 8 years. We must insure against another puppet president EVER.

Ronald Reagan's puppet masters began masterfully to redistribute wealth upwards (euphemism: "trickle down economics"), and Bush's puppet masters continued ineptly, which led to the pulling back of the wizard's curtain.

For those feeling guilty about exposing the hidden agendas of the Republican Election Machine, I say this: Stop. It is not wrong to expose wrongdoing.

Palin will be fine, and she will be written into the history books. We must be sure that the record is accurate.

[Piatt]

Maybe he can return to lobbying ful time for the Government of Georgia.

[jeanrenoir]

Maybe he can return to lobbying full time for Likud.

[NamelessGenXer]

Interesting that uber-neocon Randy PNAC was fired for trashing his own team members - but NOT for accepting $800K in lobby money from Georgia, cash which was supposed to buy U.S. military assistance in their struggle against Russia. What? Do they think we don't know about this stuff?

[vuudu]

Randy Scheunemann was not fired. He was working yesterday in McCain's office. He clearly said he has not been fired. You should remove this story so you don't look like drudgereport.

[AbstractImp]

Seeing the effects and results of the Rev Wright videos, I guess Rick Davis should now fire himself.

[filo]

Prepare the circular firing squad !

Ready.....

Aim....


FIRE!!!!

[moreupnorth]

This story is on another left leaning site. And here is a quote "As a result, two senior members of the McCain campaign said on Wednesday that Mr. Scheunemann had been fired from the campaign in its final days. But Rick Davis, the McCain campaign manager, and Mr. Salter, one of Mr. McCain’s closest advisers, said Wednesday that Mr. Scheunemann had in fact not been dismissed. Mr. Scheunemann, who picked up the phone in his office at McCain campaign headquarters on Wednesday afternoon, responded that “anybody who says I was fired is either lying or delusional or a whack job.”

The above quote can be found here http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27568012/page/2/ in the second paragraph.

Now are you going to update your story or is the NYT and MSNBC all liars. Check your story and sources better next time. Cut out the inflammatory stories.

[ptarantino]

Kristol, Schuneman & Palin deserve each other.

I'm glad they have been voted off the island.

[lordball]

So it has begun. They are turning on each other.

[1812-1814]

Ok all you Obama supporters­.....your hangover is a couple months from now....and it will come! I watched about 5 minutes of Obama's speech ( I said I wouldn't watch any) ... half of that was filled with his talk of how times are too tough for him to fulfill promises (at least for his first 4 years)....­.he basically said nothing can be done (yet) but everything can be done......­..anyone else see or hear an oxymoron or just me? It made me think back to the war of 1812! Most Americans don't remember when they last wiped their %$&^ coffee table let alone the war of 1812......­....Histor­y shows Americans can not only lose a war, but they don't even understand, or care why they are fighting one! When Bush was elected 2nd term I was flabbergas­ted.......­.now that someone who knows almost nothing about world affairs is in power I'm reminded of 1812!

[jotunloki]

Why don't you repug trolls just GO AWAY?

[springsm]

They lost, they are bitter and they need to strike out. We will see this ad nauseum from now on out. Every step of the way.

[hullhouse]

Fan of 1812: Finish reading your history book ----> War of 1812? Ah yes, President Madison was a wonderful fellow, except for NOT avoiding the War of 1812. A war fought for no reason that historians count as one of the top ten presidential mistakes. BUT, you have no discussion of President Monroe -- the next president who ushered in the Era of Good Feelings --- one filled with renewed prosperity, rebuilding/ strengthening of America, and even the growth of America territorially. Yes, it was shrewd diplomacy with a war ravaged Europe that brought Maine and Florida into our beloved union -- not war. Monroe succeeded Madison and achieved with smart diplomacy and economic strength what Madison could not with the War of 1812. Monroe's administration was also a repudiation of the nasty, divisive political environment in the United States that existed up to and during Madison's administration. (Important Note: I am a BIG fan of Madison for the Constitution and Bill of Rights -- just NOT a fan of the War of 1812.)

[StuartJoshua]

I thought McCain got us into that war.

[Gabbie]

That was a war which would have made Canada a part of the United States fought by the British.

[rmreddicks]

So, you even cherry pick your history?

[ShinjiIkari]

"History shows Americans can not only lose a war, but they don't even understand, or care why they are fighting one! "

Britain 1812? I think you mean Vietnam 1975, Korea 1954, Iraq WatchThisS­pace...

[vippy]

First of all you have a closed mind and you did not want to hear what Obama had to say.
Second, we have approached the abyss with the Bush Administration and he even stated that when he asked for the bailout money. That means we cannot go down anymore as we have
reached bottom so the only way Obama has to go is UP! If you would have gotten McCain then
he could not have made a decision one way or another and ran the government like he did campaign, suspending when it gets critical, saying one thing and doing another, and McCain also
admitted he had no idea about the economy. His economic plan would not even work it was
announced by his own staff. Admit it, you are a racist or just plain ignorant.

[Hwgfy]

It makes me wonder if news about the sheer incompetence of the republicans makes any difference to their base. As long as they've been told who to hate I guess.