February 2, 2007 -- 2:24 PM EST // //
WASHINGTON POST REPORTER: MCCAIN ISN'T GETTING FREE PASS FROM MEDIA.
Today's John McCain day here at The Horse's Mouth, so I thought I'd share this amusing tidbit from today's Washington Post online political chat between readers and Post reporter Jonathan Weisman:
Washington: I am not sure why Senator McCain continues to get a pass from the media. His positions and statements about Iraq have been at least as contradictory as the President himself -- I could myself point out a few. Before the war began he claimed (and this is on a video recording) that it would be a cakewalk. Only in October he claimed Iraq just needed 20,000 more troops. Now he says Iraq needs 50,000 more troops. He continues shifting blame about Iraq -- one day he says its Vice President's fault and the next day claims it is Gen. Casey's fault. Seems to me he blames everybody except the President, himself and Joe for everything that is going wrong in the war. Indeed, compared to him John Kerry looks more like a straight-talker. Why does the media continue to potray him as a honorable moderate guy? He is anything but that.Jonathan Weisman: I'm not sure why you think McCain is getting a pass. We did a big, front page story on McCain and the war that was anything but starry eyed.
Er...one front page story should be enough to make us doubt that McCain is getting a "pass" from the media? Really, how could any serious journalist avoid the conclusion that McCain constantly benefits from generous media treatment? I'm not sure why this is such a hard thing to admit. I'm also not sure why it wouldn't immediately be obvious to anyone that this reader's absolutely right.
Incidentally, the Post front page piece cited here as a tough one, I believe, is this article. It's got a few tough lines in it, but its title nonetheless is: "The War Within Sen. McCain." It contains nothing about McCain's frequent inconsistencies on Iraq, and it discusses the "anguish" McCain feels in calling for more troops to be sent there. That it should be held up as evidence that McCain isn't getting a pass is pretty revealing indeed.