The story of the day out here in Minneapolis is the McCain campaign's war against the press. This has been building for some time. Those of us who have criticized the candidate--and especially those of us who enjoyed good relations with McCain in the past--have been subject to off-the-record browbeating and attempted bullying all year.
McCain is such a bully! He's hurt Joe on the inside.
And according to Time John McCain is "prickly." Did you notice the word "prick" is in there or does Time need to be less subtle? (As if that's possible.) So what has he got to be angry about? For example here is an interview Klein calls "bizarre":
Time: "There's a theme that recurs in your books and your speeches, both about putting country first but also about honor. I wonder if you could define honor for us?"
McCain: "Read it in my books."
Translation:
Time: "Johnny boy! I was totally gonna read those books you gave me. They look really nice on my coffeetable. But...your books are sooooo long, and besides "honor" has more than one silliable...sillabell....oh you know what I mean. Gimme the Cliff Notes version my man!"
McCain: "Your joking, right?"
Time: [Your] campaign today is more disciplined, more traditional, more aggressive. From your point of view, why the change?
McCain: I will do as much as we possibly can do to provide as much access to the press as possible.
Translation:
Time: "You used to be cool, man. Now you are a prick...I mean prickly. You changed, man."
McCain: "Are you 'on' something right now?"
Time: Really? Come on, Senator.
McCain: I'll provide as much access as possible ...
Translation:
Time: "We may have busted out a blunt or two...but its only because you've changed, man."
McCain: "Could you please stop gnawing on my shoe leather?"
Time: In 2000, after the primaries, you went back to South Carolina to talk about what you felt was a mistake you had made on the Confederate flag. Is there anything so far about this campaign that you wish you could take back or you might revisit when it's over?
McCain: [Does not answer.]
Time: Do I know you? [Says with a laugh.]
McCain: [Long pause.] I'm very happy with the way our campaign has been conducted, and I am very pleased and humbled to have the nomination of the Republican Party.
Translation:
Time: "Hey man, afropooh...apron-pro...apricot-dough....I mean...uh...not related to anything else, is there anything you really screwed up on that you'd not like the Obama campaign to seriously attack your ass about?"
McCain: "How stupid are you?"
Time: "C'mon, I totally won't tell anybody. You're my bro!"
McCain: "Someone get this guy a bag of Doritos...he's slobbering on my tie."
Time: How different are you from President Bush? Are you in step with your party? Are you independent from your party?
McCain: My record shows that I have put my country first and I follow the philosophy and traditions of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. Sometimes that is not in keeping with the present Administration or my colleagues, but I've always put my country first, whether it's saying I didn't support the decision to go to Lebanon or my fighting against the corruption in Washington or out-of-control pork-barrel spending, which has led to members of Congress residing in federal prison. So I've always stood up for a set of principles and a philosophy that I think have been pretty consistent over the years.
Translation:
Joe Klein: See!! McCain is an asshole!
I love it when a media figure who has unlimited ability to present whatever message he wants, while denying others a fair hearing, plays victim.
In effect Klein is saying: "How dare you criticize us! Do you know who we are??"
Yes, we do know and that is why magazines and newspapers are going the way of the dodo.
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