Former Herald-Sun reporter David Folkenflik and NPR run interference for New York Times executive editor Bill Keller today regarding the John McCain smear story that appeared this morning:.
“If, hypothetically, we had established that he had a romantic relationship with a lobbyist — and had done favors for that lobbyist — that would have been a different story,” he says.
But the newspaper was not able to confirm any relationship. Instead, Keller tells NPR that the article that ran Thursday morning provided a slightly different insight into one of the nation’s leading candidates for president.
Got that? Nothing was confirmed, so the story suddenly becomes “insight” into a presidential candidate. Forget that the story hinted, wink, wink, wink, that there was an affair and that there was a quid pro quo. Suddenly, NOT being able to confirm something makes it an even more important story.
“I think the story that emerged is actually bigger, and more important and maybe more subtle,” he says. “There’s not a big market for subtle these days but I think it’s an important story.”
The man is truly delusional.
UPDATE: NYT feels the heat, tries to look like it cares what the public thinks.
UPDATE: Keller says the story isn’t about an affair or a quid pro quo, but that’s not what his fellow travelers in the MSM thought. Here’s that bozo Harry Smith from CBS’ “Early Show” (buzzwords emphasized by me):
“This bombshell report that Republican front-runner John McCain may have had a romantic relationship with a lobbyist who was a visitor to his office and traveled with him on a client’s corporate jet.”
Also, WRAL just said The New York Times reported that McCain “had an affair with a lobbyist.” But Keller claims the story never established that an affair, or even a romantic relationship, had even taken place. Funny how the world thinks that today, isn’t it?
