The New York Times has a lead story today about John McCain’s past battle with the most deadly form of skin cancer. The headline blares, “On the Campaign Trail, Few Mentions of McCain’s Bout With Melanoma.”
So let’s remind everyone that he once had melanoma!
This comes on the heels of their story last Friday that he got “testy” with one of their reporters, who needled him incessantly to try to provoke his temper. He remained incredibly calm and patient when dealing with her; finally exasperated that she had failed to get him to blow his top, she blew her cover:
“Why are you so angry?” she squeaked. Of course, he wasn’t angry at all. Annoyed at her idiocy and agenda, yes. But blowing a gasket? No. Much to her disappointment. Of course, she wrote the headline and story she wanted: “McCain Grows Testy.”
Both of these stories follow the biggest smear of them all (so far): the front pager from three weeks ago, alleging McCain had an inappropriate relationship with a female lobbyist. Without sourcing, evidence, or backup material, the Times ran the story anyway. Rather than go on the defensive, which was the Times wanted him to do, McCain went on offense, calling a press conference and answering every question the press could throw his way. The Times then got bombarded with thousands of emails, condemning its scurrilous and unfounded attacks on McCain. Embarrassed, the Times’ Public Editor opined that the paper never should have printed a story without credible evidence to support it. (They need a Public Editor to tell them that?! I guess they do.)
Embarrassed, but apparently not dissuaded. Over the past three days, the paper has deliberately tried to provoke his anger so they could argue he’s temperamentally unsuited for the presidency. And it has questioned his physical fitness for the office because he had melanoma in 2000. Although the piece says his prognosis is “favorable” and that “his doctors consider him in very good health,” the Times got the word “melanoma” in the headline.
Just as with their other hit job stories on McCain, their work here (at least for the day) is done.
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