Timing and Sourcing Suggest the GOP, Not Dems, Behind McCain "Smear Campaign"

[babylonsister]

Timing and Sourcing Suggest the GOP, Not Dems, Behind McCain "Smear Campaign"

Posted by Jon Ponder, Pensito Review at 6:42 AM on February 21, 2008.

The fact that Romney’s mitts could have been all over this might also explain McCain’s palpable antipathy toward him.


The McCain campaign has had two months to prepare for the New York Times story about his cozy relationship eight years ago with a young blond woman who happened to be a lobbyist.

The campaign's rapid response team had a news release out last night that twice used the phrase "smear campaign" to describe the Times story:

"It is a shame that The New York Times has lowered its standards to engage in a hit-and-run smear campaign. John McCain has a 24-year record of serving our country with honor and integrity. He has never violated the public trust, never done favors for special interests or lobbyists, and he will not allow a smear campaign to distract from the issues at stake in this election.

"Americans are sick and tired of this kind of gutter politics, and there is nothing in this story to suggest that John McCain has ever violated the principles that have guided his career."

They have had this response in the can for two months, so it bears some scrutiny. The word "smear" is predictable but to use it twice in conjunction with "campaign" is interesting.

One news story is hardly a "campaign." It is obvious from even a casual reading of the Times article that the story has been lawyered to near death. But is there more? The McCain team's use of the word "campaign" suggests there could be.

It is equally likely that "campaign" is a bit of transference -- that McCain and his operatives know the source of the story was a rival campaign.

more...

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/77434/#more

[rox63]

1. I wouldn't be suprised if Mittens was behind this n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Not surprising at all.

Didn't Rove once bug his candidate's office just to be able to claim it was the opponent who did it.

[MADem]

3. Ha, Mitt's endorsement was probably a way of saying "Noooo! Not meeeeeee!" AND, on edit

this is the funniest fucking photoshop I have seen in awhile...

[Virginia Dare]

13. That is fucking hilarious..

you ought to post this in a separate thread. Lots of people are going to want that in their sig lines..:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[TwilightGardener]

4. The timing of it KILLED Mitt Romney, when he could have won in NH--

so I doubt Romney had anything to do with the story, even if he knew about it.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

5. It is definitely from the wrongwing of the aisle. Drudge leaked a bit of this in December. nt

[kentuck]

6. I would say this an intra-Party squabble...

But why?

[babylonsister]

7. True conservatives loathe McCain. Could be a motive? nt

[Virginia Dare]

11. McCain royally pissed off K Street..

especially the republican wing. It's blow-back time. The timing is very odd though.

[SoFlaJet]

8. I was thinking the same thing sis

we all know a RW talking point is to rail against "the liberal media" and the NY Times in particular, but this one smacks of a RW smear job-NOT from the left wing Times. Who is alleging these charges? Ex-McCain people who were fired last summer, and we all know the right wing of the GOP are none too happy that John McCain is going to be forced down their throats this November-they all wanted Rudy and when it looked like he wasn't gonna make it, Romney. Now the thing I'VE been thinking about since last night is how The Straight Talk Express is saying this is what's wrong with politics today and all but will this stop them from employing these very same tactics against the democratic nominee-yea I don't either.

[AlinPA]

9. re: "smear campaign"- veerrry interesting... Bennett was on TV this morning,

doing some lawyering. As you say, we could ask if there could be more.

[Virginia Dare]

10. Those were my thoughts as well..

the timing would be very odd for it to be coming from a Democratic source. This is fratricide all the way.

[DemoTex]

12. What's KKKarl Rove doing nowadays?

Just askin'.

[L. Coyote]

16. What was he doing back then? Another 2000 dirty trick? Backfiring after 8 years?

There are still people who won't vote for John because he won't support his black love child. :rofl:

[The Stranger]

14. If they spent two months on that, they need to hire new consultants.

Because that "ain't gonna get er done."

[pscot]

15. It makes sense from Romney's point o view only if the story was supposed to run in December

Maybe the Times got cold feet and decided it needed further vetting, hence the delay.