# Is McCain getting a free pass? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 22, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300 "2008-03-22T01:24:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300/41 "2008-03-24T21:46:28Z")
[QUOTE=Shodan] So much for Obama and his new, fresh way of doing politics. So 2004. [/QUOTE] Obama’s posted in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300/42 "2008-03-24T22:18:15Z")
[QUOTE=Shodan] So basically, by “getting a free pass” you mean - well, nothing in particular beyond “I hate McCain”. You complain that they aren’t investigating McCain for accepting lobbyists’ money. Then you are shown a cite that they have done so, but that is not good enough because they didn’t find anything illegal. I guess I’ll just repeat for the last time, that I fully realize that the SDMB would like the media to act as unpaid campaign volunteers for Obama, and simply manufacture scandal when they cannot find any. Failure to do so 24/7 is giving McCain “a free pass”. So much for Obama and his new, fresh way of doing politics. So 2004. Regards, Shodan [/QUOTE] I don’t hate McCain, I just don’t think he’s going to get the same amount of _unfair_ media attacks that Obama has been getting and will continue to get. My wish would not be for McCain to get attacked more but for the media to quit fixating on trivial bullshit about Obama’s former pastor, or exactly how proud his wife is to be an American. What matters is Iraq, the economy, the UHC debate, NAFTA, etc. The media seems to abhor actual substantive discussions of legitimately important issues even more than it abhors a vaccuum, though. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300/43 "2008-03-24T22:55:03Z")
[QUOTE=Shodan] So basically, by “getting a free pass” you mean - well, nothing in particular beyond “I hate McCain”. You complain that they aren’t investigating McCain for accepting lobbyists’ money. Then you are shown a cite that they have done so, but that is not good enough because they didn’t find anything illegal. [/quote] Remind me, Mr. Ro…er, **Shodan**. Can you actually _call_ it an investigation if it’s just reporting facts that were released by the candidates in their financial statements? Let’s try this again. I stated that there are questions still open about his possibly showing favoritism to a telecommunications lobby, and that those questions have not, IMO, been adequately addressed. Can you please show me which part of that statement = “he did something illegal” ? NO? Didn’t think so. The questions remaining open are, much like the questions in your mind regarding Sen. Obama and Rev. Wright, pertaining to the man’s character. Either he does not give political favors to lobbyists or he does. The fact that several key members of his staff are lobbyists does not go far to reassure. Nor does the fact that he lobbied the FCC on behalf of Ms. Iseman’s company. Now, if those things translate in your mind to “I hate John McCain,” then I really must say it appears to be a case of reading for comprehension. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300/44 "2008-03-24T23:47:36Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] Bullshit. Iran Contra was all over the news for months. [/QUOTE] In 1987, sure. But during the '88 campaign? Not saying you’re wrong, but that’s not how I remember it. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300/45 "2008-03-25T00:05:01Z")
[QUOTE=E. Thorp] In 1987, sure. But during the '88 campaign? Not saying you’re wrong, but that’s not how I remember it. [/QUOTE] GHWB got petulant with Dan Rather about it during an interview, declared that he wasn’t going to answer any questions about it, and the rest of the media became as obedient as dogs. It wasn’t an issue for the rest of the campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300/46 "2008-03-25T12:06:26Z")
[QUOTE=Maureen] Let’s try this again. I stated that there are questions still open about his possibly showing favoritism to a telecommunications lobby, and that those questions have not, IMO, been adequately addressed. Can you please show me which part of that statement = “he did something illegal” ? NO? Didn’t think so. The questions remaining open are, much like the questions in your mind regarding Sen. Obama and Rev. Wright, pertaining to the man’s character. Either he does not give political favors to lobbyists or he does. The fact that several key members of his staff are lobbyists does not go far to reassure. Nor does the fact that he lobbied the FCC on behalf of Ms. Iseman’s company. [/QUOTE] In other words, McCain is not getting a free pass, as you alleged earlier. It is just that the mainstream media is getting nowhere finding any facts, and you would prefer that they switch to repeatedly questioning his character, based on talking points handed them by the DNC. This is what you refer to as “investigating” (when applied to McCain. If it were Obama, it is a horrible assault on a saintly character). Failure to engage in such systematic assaults constitutes “giving him a free pass” (again, for Republicans). I still am naive enough to believe that reporting in the MSM should be other than merely campaigning for one candidate or another, no matter if one of the candidates is assumed to be seated at God’s right hand. As ever, YMMV. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300/47 "2008-03-25T15:33:47Z")
And I’m still naive enough to believe that some day, you’ll actually participate in a debate without using such shoddy tactics as intentionally misinterpreting or misrepresenting someone else’s posts. We all dream. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300/48 "2008-03-26T04:38:36Z")
[QUOTE=Martin Hyde] McCain’s gaffes can easily be explained away as “misspeaking.” Not at all unlike Obama who obliviously said he would stay in Iraq “if al-Qaeda established a base in Iraq” (something that happened a long time ago.) The truth of the matter is, neither candidate can hold a candle to the knowledge of our military leaders when it comes to the Iraq situation. But both aren’t as ignorant as their comments can be twisted to make them seem. Now, the reason Pastorgate is so huge is precisely because one doesn’t accidentally go to a church for twenty years. Obama could have decided to go to an mixed-race church, or even a church that wasn’t infested with insane militant black racists, but he didn’t. It’s sad that a lot of black people in America, even the more adjusted ones buy into a lot of the worst anti-white rhetoric–Obama was caught with his pants down because he didn’t realize how insanely extreme some of the ideas that are accepted as common place in the black community seem to white America. The worst thing that could happen to a black candidate trying to get elected in this country is the perception that he’s out to stick it to whitey. [/QUOTE] Catholic pastors were buggering kids for many years. What degree of responsibility do I and other attendees of the church have. Every body going to a church must be giving tacit approval to the actions of the priests. Before you say it, yes it was always whispered about but never discussed openly. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2008, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300/49 "2008-04-15T20:26:00Z")
The answer to the OP continues to appear to be \*\*[Yes\*\*](http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/04/15/mccain_petraeus/index.html): > [@](#): > > Speaking before the Associated Press’s annual meeting yesterday, John McCain was asked whether he would consider “diverting troops from Iraq to Afghanistan” in order to catch Osama bin Laden. McCain replied, “I would not do that unless General Petraeus said that he felt that the situation called for that.” > > The problem, of course, is that McCain’s response doesn’t make sense. In fact, as the Army Times reported, Petraeus himself explained just last week, to McCain and his Senate colleagues, that decisions like these aren’t his to make. > > The Army Times notes that McCain may have “missed the explanation,” but that’s not really the point – whether McCain was in the room or not, he’s supposed to be an expert on national security and military policy. And he clearly isn’t. > > Let’s not forget that relatively minor errors on military affairs are, according to McCain, worth raising a fuss over. Last year, McCain took enormous delight in trying to embarrass Barack Obama when Obama’s campaign issued a statement talking about a “flack jacket” instead of a “flak jacket.” Indeed, major national news outlets thought this was quite a significant development – the “inexperienced” Obama was being taught a thing or two about the military, by virtue of an arguable typo. (For the record, either spelling is considered acceptable, and McCain’s cheap shot was factually wrong.)… > > Why, then, is it trivia when John McCain doesn’t understand the chain of command, and is ascribing military responsibilities to David Petraeus that the general just explained last week he does not have? > > For that matter, I know it cuts against the agreed-upon media narrative, but McCain’s confusion on these issues points to an issue that should be a real problem for his campaign. Just over the last month or so, McCain has been confused about whether al-Qaida is Sunni or Shi’a on at least four occasions, whether Iran is aiding al-Qaida, and was equally confused about what transpired during Maliki’s recent offensive in Basra. > > Remember, this is the subject McCain claims to know best. After conceding that he knows practically nothing about economic matters, his expertise on the military and national security is supposed to be the underpinning of his entire presidential campaign. ---
**Author:** ![tds1273](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@tds1273](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tds1273)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300/50 "2008-04-16T17:27:38Z")
Did anybody happen to catch McSame on Hardball last night? What a glorious, though slightly uncomfortable to watch, train wreck that was. McW was talking himself in rambling, incoherent circles. He was, of course, trying to beat the war drums, but is was a rather(fortunately) sorry attempt. At one point I think he thought he was being hit on by a male member of the audience, he got clearly uncomfortable and proceeded to tell us all about how much of a sports fan he is; a very wtf kind of moment. To Matthews’ credit he was asking decent questions, but if you watched him you could almost tell he was thinking the same thing as everyone else- ‘is this some kind of joke or is he fucking serious?’ Also, I think Matthews might have benefited from the ego and reality check he got on the The Colbert Report; especially having to right back out in front of a college crowd. Speaking of the crowd, they were good too. They clapped respectively at proper moments and (I think) sarcastically at others. They would also clearly murmur when the shit started getting too deep, and even booed mcW a couple of times. They asked some solid questions too. Is this is really the best the Republicans can offer? If this is a preview of Aug-Nov than I simply cannot wait for the debates in the general to begin. Hell, we might as well just speed up election day to just after the first one, because it will be well over for Ol’George-John at that point. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300/51 "2008-04-16T17:56:43Z")
Don’t worry about it, sure, he’s getting a pass, but is largely circumstantial. He’s been nominated, he doesn’t generate newsiness like Obama and Whatsherface. The Media Monster craves news, drama, impact, something has to happen every day. Or people begin to tune away. Theres plenty of time for McCain to be the focus of attention, and it will not be kind. If and when he gets up to debate either of them, they will be cracking his bones for the marrow before its over. Folks, it aint even May yet. Chill. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300/52 "2008-04-16T18:06:33Z")
Well I…don’t know what to say. I agree with you completely there 'luci. You are exactly spot on, even to your use of the word ‘newsiness’ which is my word of the day now. Maybe I should go see the doctor to make sure I’m feeling ok… -XT [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mccain-getting-a-free-pass/442300.md?page=2)