Jake Tapper: Is the McCain Camp Spreading Smears in the Name of Fighting Them?

[demobabe]

Obviously, they want to rally voters behind her. But are they doing Palin a service?

"Members of this campaign went to off-the-record lunches with reporters today," Schmidt told Katie Couric, Tuesday, according to Politico, "and they were asked if she would do paternity tests to prove paternity for her last child. Smear after smear after smear, and it's disgraceful and it's wrong. And the American people are going to reject it overwhelmingly when they see her."

First, that's an intriguing definition of off-the-record, but second, what a reporter asks is not the same thing as what a reporter reports. It could be argued that Schmidt, raising the notion of paternity on national TV, did far more to spread that unpleasantness to millions of voters than anything anyone in the mainstream media did.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/is-the-mccain-c.html

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

1. Once they saw scandal one they decided to play the LW Media card and began encouraging dirt on her

They didn't have to respond to the National Enquirer today. They made that a "legit" story on purpose to milk sympathy

[Phx_Dem]

8. Exactly.

Jesus, how can anyone be so fucking stupid! Anytime the McCain camp (or Obama) issues a statement about anything, it is news. So, when Palin issued the statement about her daughter being pregnant, it became news. She could have waited until some brave reporter dared to ask and then simply said, "yes and I'm not going to discuss it because it's a private family matter." But they issued a statement! Duh.

Now McDumbshit issues a statement rebutting the National Enquirer story, thereby, making it news. CBS and and WaPo have now reported on it.

And the latest and greatest is Schmidt telling Katie Couric that reportes are asking if Palin will take a paternity test for Trig! Holy shit. Is this guy for real, or does he just want McCain to lose? (see below)

Members of this campaign went to off-the-record lunches with reporters today," Schmidt told Katie Couric, Tuesday, according to Politico, "and they were asked if she would do paternity tests to prove paternity for her last child. Smear after smear after smear, and it's disgraceful and it's wrong. And the American people are going to reject it overwhelmingly when they see her."

First, that's an intriguing definition of off-the-record, but second, what a reporter asks is not the same thing as what a reporter reports. It could be argued that Schmidt, raising the notion of paternity on national TV, did far more to spread that unpleasantness to millions of voters than anything anyone in the mainstream media did. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/is-the-mccain-c.html

If anyone had any doubt, it should now be clear that John McCain is too. fucking. stupid. to be President. In fact, he's too fucking stupid to be a Senator.

[KittyWampus]

2. AS Josh Marshall posted- so much for McCain's people respecting "off the record"n

[ErinBerin84]

3. yup.

Like Joe Klein said, it's all a smoke screen to distract from the really unsettling reports about Palin and her record.

[AlCzervik]

4. Page one of the Lee Atwater play book, attack yourself and blame your opponent.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

9. Good Call. n/t

[spanone]

5. they are elevating the national enquirer to 'media' status

[Lisavella]

6. didn't the Daily Kos spread these smears?

And DU? Maybe McCain posts in DU, who knows :-)

[me b zola]

7. KO has been eluding to this

Meanwhile, how about the Alaskan Independence Party, their hatred for America, their plans to secede, and Sarah Palin's ties to them?