Sizzle! David Letterman Skewers McCain Over Cancellation September 25, 2008
Late Show host David Letterman skewered John McCain for canceling his appearance about one hour before taping.
(ETA: LA Times says McCain canceled "hours" before taping.)
After praising McCain as a hero, Letterman then repeatedly speculated that “something doesn't smell right.”
"This is not the way a tested hero behaves," asserted Letterman, "somebody's puttin' something in [McCain's] Metamucil.”
Letterman also questioned McCain's campaign suspension. "I'm more than a little disappointed by his behavior. Are we suspending it because there's an economic crisis," Letterman asked, "or because the poll numbers are sliding?"
According to Letterman, McCain insisted he was "getting on a plane immediately and racing back to Washington" to deal with the financial crisis. But, delivering the coup de grace, Letterman then showed McCain taping a segment for CBS Evening Newswith Katie Couric, in a studio apparently just three blocks away.
Late Show producers switched to a live feed of make-up staff patting McCain down in preparation for his Couric interview - at the very moment when the GOP presidential candidate was slated to appear on Letterman
"The road to the White House runs right through me," quipped Letterman, "....he calls me on the phone...As part of the national good, I said I understood....He said 'we're gonna go save the country.' But it's like we caught him getting a manicure or something!"
"He's now on Rachael Ray making veal piccata," announced Letterman finally, seemingly delighted to be toying with all the new material inadvertently supplied by the McCain camp.
ETA: Did Nikki Finke break this story on Deadline Hollywood Daily? Finke offers a somewhat expanded accounting of the incident. Finke's provocative headline: "David Letterman Busts McCain For Lying."
....Letterman explained to the cameras why McCain was a no-show and even had nice things to say about the guy. That is, until the behind the scenes people in The Late Show control room were shocked to see a live feed of McCain being miked in Katie Couric's CBS News studio at the same time he was supposed to be in Dave's studio. Letterman was informed of this during the commercial break....
ETA: via a tweet from Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan. NJ Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall posted the transcript of the Letterman "snap."
Note: The Senator has appeared on Letterman a dozen times to date and he announced his presidential bid on the show in 2007. McCain's enjoyed (past tense is operable here) an easy rapport with Letterman and the venue humanized him. Misleading Letterman to this extent is the mother of all blunders.
ETA: This morning Kansas City Star critic Aaron Barnhart returns to the topic of talk show influence.
When David Letterman spent 40 minutes of his show last night ripping John McCain for cancelling his appearance on the show at the last minute -- and then gradually expanding his personal, peevish complaint into a brilliant critique of the McCain campaign, it brought to the fore once again an argument I made here a couple of weeks ago: that trusted talk-show hosts can introduce ideas into the mainstream that the MSM can't, or with greater force than the "on the one hand, on the other" MSM can muster.
September 25, 2008 In response to:Sizzle! David Letterman Skewers McCain Over Cancellation Mary Hates Fox commented:
Good to see that MaryMac's slash and burn attacks on Republicans hasn't gone away....Letterman is representative, like MaryMac, of the angry self-righteous left. I'm sure if McCain had appeared MaryMac would have criticized him for that too.
September 25, 2008 In response to:Sizzle! David Letterman Skewers McCain Over Cancellation Ceres commented:
This is too funny. McCain shooting himself in the foot by snubbing Letterman's mighty inflated ego. And for Katie Couric, too!! Although, as a woman, she knows how to multi-task, mebbe she could offer McCain some helpful advice. : )
September 25, 2008 In response to:Sizzle! David Letterman Skewers McCain Over Cancellation Ceres commented:
This is too funny. McCain shooting himself in the foot by snubbing Letterman's mighty inflated ego. And for Katie Couric, too!! Although, as a woman, she knows how to multi-task, mebbe she could offer McCain some helpful advice. : )
September 25, 2008 In response to:Sizzle! David Letterman Skewers McCain Over Cancellation American Pie commented:
As an undecided voter, I'm grateful to Letterman and Ferguson for their (humorous yet biting) exposure of McCain's ill-considered attempt to make political hay for himself out of the financial meltdown. It was the footage of McCain getting miked for Couric that somehow said it all. I applaud both these late-night talk-show hosts for their response, which I regard as a service to the nation. I'm undecided no longer. My insomnia really paid dividends last night: good thing I was still up. Shame on you, John McCain.
I feel that, for me at least, this was a real window into Obama: he's the one who tried to issue a JOINT statement, as reported by various news organizations, including AP, on the gravity of the financial implosion for all of us.
September 26, 2008 In response to:Sizzle! David Letterman Skewers McCain Over Cancellation Rob commented:
I 2nd American Pie's comments above!
September 26, 2008 In response to:Sizzle! David Letterman Skewers McCain Over Cancellation Mary Hates Fox commented:
Glad to see you take your voting cues from an angry far left comedian.
It speaks volumes about your understanding about the issues. If you both truly believe that the Democrats are not culpable too, along with Bush, then you were going to vote for Obama anyway.....enjoy the kool aid.
September 27, 2008 In response to:Sizzle! David Letterman Skewers McCain Over Cancellation Rob commented:
I 2nd'd her comments - not the part about being undecided. I wholeheartedly support Barack Obama for President. McCain has proven to be unfit to serve as president.
Recommended daily reading:
www.andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com
September 28, 2008 In response to:Sizzle! David Letterman Skewers McCain Over Cancellation Mary Hates Fox commented:
Rob,
Andrew Sullivan peddles rumor and fiction. His rants have been refutued many times over. If this is the stuff you base your opinion on, then I feel badly for you. You are as uninformed as MaryMac. I dont expect us to agree...However, I thought more of you that you based your opinion on substance...Too bad I was wrong.
September 30, 2008 In response to:Sizzle! David Letterman Skewers McCain Over Cancellation Rob commented:
Hardly, Andrew is one of the most respected and accurate bloggers and columnists anywhere. Unlike anyone in today's GOP, he's a real conservative. On the few occasions when he's turned out to be wrong, he admits it and posts a correction, unlike most bloggers.
He's one of many resources I use for news, but he's also one of the most informed, knowlegeable, and accurate writers on the planet.
September 30, 2008 In response to:Sizzle! David Letterman Skewers McCain Over Cancellation Rob commented:
Correction: He's more of a source for insightful commentary than for actual news.
October 5, 2008 In response to:Sizzle! David Letterman Skewers McCain Over Cancellation Ron Ford commented:
That MaryMac needs to be put in her place. Her left leaning rants are just too much. After all Bush has given us 7 years of economic free market. Haven't we all gotten rich during his regime? He's pushed through deregulation and look how the stock market soared. Haven't our IRA's and money market funds given us security in our "
