Don't Feed The Media

Well, it looks like the honeymoon is over. The bloom is officially off the rose. While we started to see the signs of strains in the relationship in the last few years when John McCain stubbornly insisted on supporting the Iraq War, today's hit piece in the New York Times confirms that the long-time dalliance between Senator McCain and the media has come to an end. No more playing footsie, flirting openly, and exchanging knowing glances. This relationship can't (and shouldn't) be saved.

The best analogy I've heard on this so far came courtesy of Laura Ingraham this morning, when she compared McCain to Timothy Treadwell, who peacefully coexisted among bears in Alaska for years and thought he had reached an understanding with them that transcended nature. Then one day, a bear (or possibly two) attacked and tore him and his girlfriend limb for limb. He probably had the same look of surprise on his face that McCain had at the press conference denouncing the Times story. Gee, I never thought they would attack me like that.

This is a lesson that every Republican, even the mavericks, should have learned by now. No matter how much you make nice with the media, open up with them, joke around with them, and slap them on the back they will always revert to their true nature at some point. You may be a maverick Republican, but you're still a Republican and at the end of the day, when they have a chance to stick a shiv in your back to stop you or help a Democrat, you better believe they're not going to think twice about thrusting it deep and twisting it hard.

The fact that the Times would choose to attack McCain on conjured up ethics charges at this point is almost laughable. Hillary had to add another wing to their Chappaqua home to house a closet big enough for her ethical skeletons. The Times could have had front-page stories on a daily basis from January 1st until now on Hillary's ethics, yet I can't recall a single one. Obama cut his political teeth in the rough and tumble world of Chicago. No chance that there could any questionable ethics there now are there? I'm sure the Times has a team dedicated to thoroughly researching and checking Obama's background for any hint of wrongdoing. And bears use toilets to take care of their business.