McCain Outraged with NY Times Article

[irvin88]

John McCain's campaign is expressing outrage over a New York Times story that focuses on Cindy McCain's marriage to the Arizona senator, including her miscarriages, her past addiction to painkillers and her failure in Washington to fit in.

The campaign's outrage comes on the heels of a letter Cindy McCain's attorney, John Dowd, wrote earlier this month to New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller accusing him of biased coverage for not pursuing more information about Obama's personal life.

"It is worth noting that you have not employed your investigative assets looking into Michelle Obama," Dowd wrote in the letter, which the campaign has made public now in response to the latest report by the Times.

"You have not tried to find Barack Obama's drug dealer that he wrote about in his book, 'Dreams of My Father,'" he continued. "Nor have you interviewed his poor relatives in Kenya and determined why Barack Obama has not rescued them. Thus there is a terrific lack of balance here."

The McCain camp provided the letter to FOX News on Saturday, the same day the piece was published. In addition to the missive, the McCain released a scathing critique of the story, calling it "gutter journalism at its worst -- an unprecedented attack on a presidential candidate's spouse."

The New York Times defended its coverage of both presidential hopefuls and the story on Cindy McCain.

"The Times has reported vigorously on the backgrounds of the candidates and the influential people in their lives, including both prospective first ladies. We reported where the facts led us," Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis said in a written statement to FOXNews.com.

"The story was a richly reported, completely fair, respectful -- even empathetic -- profile of a would-be first lady," Mathis added. "The material is almost all from named sources, and the McCain campaign has not disputed a single fact."

The McCain camp also condemned New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor, who co-wrote the feature, for e-mailing a 16-year-old friend of the McCain's youngest child, seeking more information on Cindy McCain.

"The New York Times has stooped lower than this campaign ever imagined possible in an attempt to discredit a woman whose only apparent sin is being married to the man that would oppose that paper's preferred candidate, Barack Obama, in his quest for the presidency," McCain campaign spokesman Michael Goldfarb wrote in the statement released Saturday.

"It is a black mark on the record of a paper that was once widely respected, but is now little more than a propaganda organ for the Democratic party," he added. "The New York Times has accused John McCain of running a dishonorable campaign, but today it is plain to see where the real dishonor lies."

Kantor declined to comment when reached by FOXNews.com.

[Beast_from_East]

I am in no way defending going after spouses like this, but did McCain think he is the only one that would go dirty?

I mean, they are doing all these "Robo Calls" trashing Obama and they didnt think that Obama supporters in the meida were not going to hit back?

[bbgun]

Originally Posted by Beast_from_East

I am in no way defending going after spouses like this, but did McCain think he is the only one that would go dirty?

I mean, they are doing all these "Robo Calls" trashing Obama and they didnt think that Obama supporters in the meida were not going to hit back?

Um, their job is to watch over all parties, not act as an unofficial arm of the Obama campaign. Ever heard of professionalism? If a Republican paper sent emails to mere school children, looking for dirt on Michelle, it would be equally outrageous.

[masomenos]

I would encourage people to read the article, it's hardly the attack piece that it's made out to be.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/18/us...l?pagewanted=1

on her miscarriages:

Recently, Mrs. McCain has called the separations painful, volunteering that she endured several miscarriages alone. She spent subsequent pregnancies mostly confined to home, Ms. Ross said, sitting in a favorite stuffed chair, watching videos. But she rarely complained. “Her attitude was as a good soldier,” Mr. Gullet said.

on her past addiction to painkillers:

In 1994, Mrs. McCain dissolved the charity after admitting that she had been addicted to painkillers for years and had stolen prescription drugs from it. She had used the drugs, first given for back pain, to numb herself during the Keating Five investigation, she confessed to Newsweek magazine. “The newspaper articles didn’t hurt as much, and I didn’t hurt as much,“ she wrote in an essay. “The pills made me feel euphoric and free.”

on here failure to fit in in Washington:

Ms. Dunn, the former wife of William S. Cohen, the former Maine senator and defense secretary, recalls the new Mrs. McCain as gracious but timid, unschooled in Washington conversation, and worried about fitting in. Carol McCain was still a presence on the social scene, working in the Reagan White House and as an events planner. Everyone knew her story: she had stood by her husband during his captivity in North Vietnam, never passing word of a debilitating car accident, only to discover, a few years after their reunion, that he was leaving her for a younger, richer woman.

It's ridiculous to call this piece "gutter journalism" or to say that it is an "unprecedented attack". The only part of the article that I found questionable was near the end...

In interviews, some of Mrs. McCain’s statements seem questionable. She often tells of how she moved to California, leaving her children behind, for four months in 2004 to recover from a stroke that left her unable to walk or speak. But news reports from the time indicate she had few discernible impediments. She gave interviews four days afterward, attended a baseball game with her husband and a reporter several weeks later, and spoke at a Tempe, Ariz., Chamber of Commerce event. “One month out, I feel wonderful,” she told the audience. The McCain campaign declined to resolve the discrepancy.

[View Full Quote]Similarly, Mrs. McCain often mentions her travels to Rwanda at the height of the 1994 genocide — she wrote about it in a recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece and has been praised by politicians and newspaper columnists for jetting into the heart of a massacre. As with her other charity trips, participants praised her eagerness to help victims of tragedy. But news accounts and interviews indicate, and a campaign spokesman confirmed, that Mrs. McCain traveled after the genocide had ended, spending time with refugees in neighboring Zaire, now Congo. Asked if she was ever in Rwanda, as Mrs. McCain has stated many times, a campaign spokesman, Jill Hazelbaker, said “she was driven to the Zaire/Rwanda border in order to assess the conditions of the refugees entering the country.”

[Beast_from_East]

Originally Posted by bbgun

Um, their job is to watch over all parties, not act as an unofficial arm of the Obama campaign. Ever heard of professionalism? If a Republican paper sent emails to mere school children, looking for dirt on Michelle, it would be equally outrageous.

You mean the way FOX NEWS has trashed Michelle Obama?

Calling her an angry woman, that she hates her country, putting up a graphic on their screen that says "Baby's momma".

Yea, I have heard of professionalism and this isnt it.

I view both sides going after spouses as off limits, but for McCain's guys to get offended when saying jack about how Michelle Obama has been trashed by FOX is hypercritical.

[Maikeru-sama]

I still don't understand why people think just because you are a success financially, you are somehow obligated to help everyone in your family that isn't.

It's just another stupid and tangential issue.

[bbgun]

Originally Posted by Beast_from_East

You mean the way FOX NEWS has trashed Michelle Obama?

Calling her an angry woman, that she hates her country, putting up a graphic on their screen that says "Baby's momma".

Yea, I have heard of professionalism and this isnt it.

I view both sides going after spouses as off limits, but for McCain's guys to get offended when saying jack about how Michelle Obama has been trashed by FOX is hypercritical.

Multiply that by 1,000 and you'll know what Sarah Palin's been through in the last month. Care to express any concern for the trashing of her reputation by the MSM and Obama's surrogates on the Net? I shant hold my breath. And don't get me started on whose children have been attacked and whose have been left alone.

[iceberg]

Originally Posted by Maikeru-sama

I still don't understand why people think just because you are a success financially, you are somehow obligated to help everyone in your family that isn't.

It's just another stupid and tangential issue.

because when you're "bullet hunting" any bullet will do. making sense is seldom an option.

[vta]

Originally Posted by Maikeru-sama

I still don't understand why people think just because you are a success financially, you are somehow obligated to help everyone in your family that isn't.

It's just another stupid and tangential issue.

Well, look at this in the context of what it might say and how if Obama feels this way (which I have no idea how he feels about his extended family), how anyone can, with any shred of confidence, think he has their interests at heart.

We hear Obama say, he care about the Middle Classes interests.
He claims the wealth should be spread around.
He claims that people 'deserve' things like health care and homes.

Really? Complete strangers that he will never even meet, he cares about their interests?

Yet, he'd be given a pass for not being 'obligated' to help his own family?
This is flatly laughable. Think about that.

I'm not obligated to help my family.
I'm here to champion the cause of a millions of complete strangers.

The Middle Class is the largest voting demographic.
Isn't it possible his whole platform is nothing more than false political strategy?

It's a salient point.

[JBond]

Originally Posted by Maikeru-sama

I still don't understand why people think just because you are a success financially, you are somehow obligated to help everyone in your family that isn't.

It's just another stupid and tangential issue.

Why does Obama expect me to be spreading my wealth to people I don't even know? He is a hypocrite.

He is all about bumper sticker slogans, but in his own life he refuses to live up to the expectations he has for me.

He will not help his own family but wants to obligate me to help others. Your argument is foolish.

[Thanos68]

God Bless the NY Times.

.

[erich1r]

Sen. Obama does not have money like the mccain's and bushes meaning he did'nt come from a wealthy family. There is a difference in being rich and being wealthy. If you did'nt know within the past few years they just paid off their student loans. I say that to compare the two. If mcain had a plan to get this country in shape why wait until the country is in this mess,impliment your plans now under a republican president it's not like it's helping bush. Show us now what you can do. remember mcain is not feeling this financial stress. the man has what 9 houses some he did'nt know he had. People are so quick to judge without knowing facts. We all know politicians say what we want to hear to get elected. I never heard mccain talk about the middle class during his debates ohh yeah joe the plumber please give me a break so do u really think he cares about us the middle class,democrat or republican.Did he really say how he would fix all this? I heard him talk about Sen Obama more than his economic fix. We hear about ayers and wright. what about palin and the group she belongs to or supports in alaska. what about liddy or libby that mccain has ties to. David Letterman got him good with that the other night. If Obamas past needs to be checked so does mccain and palin

[trickblue]

Originally Posted by Maikeru-sama

I still don't understand why people think just because you are a success financially, you are somehow obligated to help everyone in your family that isn't.

It's just another stupid and tangential issue.

+5 points...

[erich1r]

do u think mccain is helping everyone in his family or is everyone in his family is rich. is he obligated to help u and me . Your statement is foolish

[Beast_from_East]

Originally Posted by bbgun

Multiply that by 1,000 and you'll know what Sarah Palin's been through in the last month. Care to express any concern for the trashing of her reputation by the MSM and Obama's surrogates on the Net? I shant hold my breath. And don't get me started on whose children have been attacked and whose have been left alone.

PALIN IS A CANDIDATE, BIG DIFFERENCE.

It was wrong for the media to go after Palin's daughter, like I said family is off limits.

Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama should be off limits, along with the childeren.

However, the candidates chose to enter the arena of politics and #$%^ happens. What did McCain think was going to happen by selecting somebody that nobody had ever heard of for VP???