Sex Gets In The Way

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Rebecca

02/23/08 03:33PM

Filed to: New York Times

Clark Hoyt can work on a deadline. Unlike the public editors of yore—Daniel Okrent, cough, cough—Hoyt tackles this week's controversy in this weekend's Sunday Times. In case you forgot, and lucky you if you have, John McCain may or may not have bonked a lobbyist, is definitely a liar, but most importantly to McCain camp, the Times is a liberal no-good paper.

The public editor column starts where Friday's Ask The Newsroom feature left off. Bill Keller and Jill Abramson are back for Round II to defend the story. Guess what? They stand by their work.

For all the innuendo, Hoyt points out that the article was about much more than a possible affair, even though it led with those implications. And at this point in the never ending election, what could be more fun than an affair?

Hoyt concludes that all the sexy talk ruined a perfectly good story about McCain's relationship with lobbyists. Sexy talk always kills the mood.

What That McCain Article Didn't Say [NYT]
The McCain Article [NYT]

The following replies are approved. To see additional replies that are pending approval, click Show Pending. Warning: These may contain graphic material.

Lysergic Asset Rebecca 02/23/08 04:07PM

From The Sierra Club:

Two weeks ago John McCain was the only Senator to duck a crucial vote on the future of clean energy in America — dooming to failure the measure that would have helped make renewable energy more affordable and accessible. Now it turns out this missed vote is part of a pattern.

Last week, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) released the 2007 National Environmental Scorecard giving Senator McCain a score of ZERO. According to the scorecard, McCain was the only member of Congress to skip all 15 crucial environmental votes scored by LCV.

THIS is far more egregious and relevant than who the relic did or didn't fuck.

meechybee Rebecca 02/23/08 05:00PM

Update on my "Rove's behind it" theory:

- Limbaugh and pals now laud MC for standing up to the evil NY Times — "conservative badge of honor". [www.politico.com] + [abcnews.go.com]

- After seeing cash dry up after locking in the nomination, MC is now seeing a fundraising boon. [blog.washingtonpost.com]

- Now that it is out there, it will never resurface in the general election — and may immunize him against further scuttlebutt.

And, a nice little bonus: ClearChannel Media, the leader in conservative talk radio broadcasting, is still searching for buyer but has has trouble finding one. With the airwaves burning up over this issue, it is sure to increase the value of the stations — and give them hefty ratings over the next quarter. [thehill.com]

trojanhorse Rebecca 02/24/08 07:18AM

Look, the article was about staffers' worries that McCain, with his holier-than-now poses, was making himself a sitting duck by hanging around with lobbyists, including especially one of the female persuasion. (Cf. Garry Hart.) The article's headline made this clear, even if the story was not well-written and the Limbaugh Brigade won the spin game hands down. When campaign filings showed that the Clinton campaign spent $100,000 on party platters, the media focused on the supposed implications for federal bugeting should she win the election, NOT, say, on whether she might be bulimic. The import of the McCain article - if any - lies in his apparent assumption that he is - or, as a "war hero" who always puts America first, blah, blah, blah - should be above suspicion.

trojanhorse Rebecca 02/24/08 01:19PM

@She Blinded Me With Omniscience: Yes, but now that McCain is to be the nominee, Fatso Limbaugh et al needed an excuse to get back on board. The NYT article is it. Fatso will now spend the next six months winning over the three-divorced drug-addict community.