Friday, 02.22.08

L'affaire McCain?

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The New York Times hints at a McCain affair, and the crowd goes wild.

That wheezing noise you hear is the sound of Rush Limbaugh climbing down from his tree. Having inveighed against John McCain for months -- the wearisome Ann Coulter said she would support Hillary Clinton over him -- assorted right-wing commentators found their bluff called as he locked up the nomination. But, putting a new twist on the proverb that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, The New York Times has tossed the commentariat a line by publishing its report on McCain's coziness with lobbyists. "The lesson is liberals are to be defeated," Limbaugh grumbled, as he maneuvered his bulk earthward. Meanwhile, the chin-stroking has begun: Should the Times have hinted that McCain had a special interest in one lobbyist? Should it have run the story at all? Quibbles aside, the piece was legitimate, and press critics should be grateful that as their advertisers slip away, their stock prices sink, and their armchair critics multiply, the big papers are still ponying up for long-term investigations. What's too bad is that some truly shocking revelations haven't gotten so much attention. Maybe it's just not a scandal without sex.

— James Bennet

Filed Under: 2008, election, journalism, Limbaugh, McCain