McCain to Letterman: I screwed up - Democratic Underground

ErinBerin84

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Thu Oct-16-08 06:00 PM
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McCain to Letterman: I screwed up

Well, that's the first honest thing he's said all year, but in a much broader context than you mean, John. He also plays the POW! card and Letterman asks him about Liddy, and McCain generally acts like an evasive and exploitative wuss as usual.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/mccain-to-letterman-i-screwed-up/

Mr. McCain walked on the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theatre, the site of “The Late Show,” in New York around 5:20 p.m. Eastern. Mr. Letterman immediately asked: “Can you stay?”

“Yes, sir,” Mr. McCain said, and adjusted himself in the chair. He quickly added: “Depends on how bad it gets.”

Then Mr. McCain jokingly said that he asked his son in the Marine Corps to FedEx his flak jacket in preparation for the visit.

Mr. Letterman got right to it: “So what happened?”

Mr. McCain answered: “I screwed up.”

After the audience applauded, he continued, “Look at all the conversation I gave you. Including having Mr. Olbermann on.”

(The MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann filled in for Mr. McCain at the last minute on Sept. 24. On Thursday, Mr. Olbermann was shown standing backstage, ready to appear again if the candidate had not arrived.)

Mr. McCain added: “I haven’t had so much fun since my last interrogation.”

As Mr. Letterman pressed for details, Mr. McCain repeated the “screwed up” line.

Mr. Letterman segued, saying “I’m willing to put this behind us.” Mr. McCain observed that “there’s going to be a kind of sad feeling around here when the election takes place.”

Mr. Letterman asked Mr. McCain about Wednesday’s debate, and before long, Joe the plumber was brought up.

“Joe, if you’re watching, I’m sorry,” Mr. McCain said, referring to the media attention that the
Ohio man had received. Mr. McCain said he has not spoken to Joe yet.

Mr. McCain then talked about the economic downturn and described the anger many people feel and the hardships many families are experiencing. “They’re the victims of a drive-by shooting by Washington and Wall Street,” he said.

“Now’s not the time to raise anybody’s taxes except yours, and I guarantee when I’m president, I’ll do it.” He added: “My first executive order!”

Asked by Mr. Letterman whether Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska was his “first choice” for vice president, Mr. McCain said “absolutely.” He added: “I didn’t know her well at all. I knew her reputation.”

Mr. Letterman pressed Mr. McCain on Ms. Palin’s preparation for the office of president, and asked whether she was “the woman to lead us through the next 9/11 attack.”

“Absolutely” she is, Mr. McCain said. “She has inspired Americans. That’s the thing we need.”

Mr. Letterman also asked if Ms. Palin had said that Senator Barack Obama “pals around with terrorists.” Mr. McCain started to say he didn’t know, then said “Yes. And he did.”

Then Mr. Letterman raised Mr. McCain’s relationship with G. Gordon Liddy. “I’ve met him,” Mr. McCain said. After a segment break, he followed up: “I know Gordon Liddy. He paid his debt, he went to prison, he paid his debt.”

Mr. Letterman asked whether Ms. Palin was going to appear on “Saturday Night Live.” “I think she is, yeah,” he said. “Probably get more of an audience than our debate did.”

Mr. McCain almost did not make it to the program — again. His campaign plane was turned around after officials at Newark Liberty International Airport said there were landing delays of nearly two hours. The plane, with the traveling press corps, stayed behind in Philadelphia and Mr. McCain was whisked to New York on a helicopter. The campaign plane followed soon afterward