John McCain: The Straight Talk Express Moves Behind Closed Doors

I just received an email sent out by John McCain's Straight Talk America, laying out the senator's travel schedule for the next two days. So McCain will be attending four big events in my neck of the woods -- three of which are fundraisers that will be "closed to the press."

The confidential coffer-filling west coast swing kicks off this afternoon in San Francisco with an appearance at a fundraising luncheon for Arnold Schwarzenegger, who not only has a 16-point lead heading into Tuesday but has already raised over $113 million on his own since he tossed his hat into the political ring, saying "I don't need to take any money from anybody. I have plenty of money myself." I guess you can never have enough campaign cash. In the words of the press release: "The event will be closed to the press."

Next up is a Friday morning fundraiser in Los Angeles, where Sen. McCain will attend the New Majority Los Angeles Pre-Election Breakfast. New Majority? Do these folks know something we don't? Again: "The fundraising event is closed to the press."

Friday evening McCain will be in Palm Desert, California for yet another fundraising reception for the cash-rich Schwarzenegger. "The event is closed to the press."

So it's five days before a watershed election, the last chance for the two parties to make their case to the American people, and the leading candidate to be the Republican nominee for president in 2008 thinks the best way to spend his time and energy is raising money behind closed doors.

Remember when McCain's signature issue was cleaning up the fundraising cesspool in Washington? Now it seems to be making deposits in the Favor Bank for 2008.

Apparently, all that straight talk is now for GOP donors only.