NPR: McCain and Staff Differ on Questions

McCain and Staff Differ on Questions

NPR's David Greene reports that John McCain offered to take questions before his meeting about the economy this morning. It was his second Q&A session with the press in 2 days, after a 40-day dry spell. But McCain's press secretary, Brooke Buchannan, was apparently not on board with the impromptu avail. Here's the transcript:

MCCAIN: Any questions?

BUCHANAN: Actually there are no questions.

REPORTER: Sen. Harry Reid said you were going to vote for the Paulson plan.

MCCAIN: I did not say that.

BLOOMBERG: Do you have a comment about that?

MCCAIN: I did not say that.

And that was not the only moment of tension between McCain and his staff today. A few hours later, David sent us this description of another disconnect between McCain and his staff over the candidate's availability:

Palin and McCain are sitting with Georgia's president. McCain appears to gesture to the media to ask a question. AP tries to ask Palin what she's taken from her meetings. Palin looks unsure. Then campaign staff abruptly move the press out of the room.

Were these things really not worked out ahead of time? Or is McCain, who was once famously an open book, frustrated with the tight schedule control and trying to retake the reins of his public persona? (And perhaps win back the affections of a restless press corps -- the group he once referred to as "my base"?)

-- Evie Stone

12:37 PM ET | 09-24-2008 | permalink

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I want the John McCain of 1996 back. Heck, I'd even settle for the John McCain of 2000 over this guy, whoever he his.

Sent by jonathon | 1:39 PM ET | 09-24-2008

I don't care that mccain is using this as a political ploy.

At least he's OPPOSING it. The populace is buying this load. This is really terrifying.

Think people THINK.

Sent by Jody Sol | 2:01 PM ET | 09-24-2008

I look back on my 2000 dream ticket of McCain-Powell and almost want to weep.

Powell is in exile, his reputation and influenced spent on a disastrous war.

The McCain I admired has been replaced by an exhausted, duplicitous doppelganger whose only role on the current ticket seems to be surviving through the election so President-in-waiting Palin can take over.

Sent by Josh | 2:14 PM ET | 09-24-2008

Good grief. If they can't get it together during their campaign, God help us if they're elected. They're already unresponsive to the media, whose job is to report the news and ask the tough questions. In these times, the relentlessness of the press is an absolute requirement. Answering questions with a whine, "Let me think, guys! You're asking too many questions!" isn't going to cut it!

Sent by Diana Shellenberger | 2:29 PM ET | 09-24-2008

I think McCain-Palin has started blinking at questions. But I could be mistaken, it has a deer in the headlights kind of stunned thing going too.

Sent by Christopher M. Brown | 2:55 PM ET | 09-24-2008

Yes! The current McCain's no maverick -- I'm thinking about referring to him as The Politician Formerly Known As Maverick.

Sent by Kathryn in Minnesota | 3:25 PM ET | 09-24-2008

We cannot afford to let this duo take the reigns in January. If they can't handle this, how are they ever going to handle real problems that we will continue to face.

Sent by Celeste | 4:33 PM ET | 09-24-2008

The GOP backdoor guys have taken over the McCain campaign and he seems powerless to fend them off.

This is not the maverick we used to like.

Sent by ohnjay | 11:00 PM ET | 09-24-2008

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