The Media Has Abandoned Their Former Hero

If there's one thing that drove John McCain's campaign in 2000 and some of his legislative efforts since then it's the fawning press corps that played up the "maverick" image and lauded him every time he opposed the president or the GOP on important issues. He was their hero, but the key word now is "was". Howard Kurtz reports on McCain's fall from grace as far as the media is concerned:

Seven years ago, as reporters rode around this first primary state on McCain's campaign bus, chatting up the candidate for hours on end, a romance was born.

"Journalists go weak in the knees around the guy," wrote Slate's Jacob Weisberg, who admitted joining the swoon. "McCain is easier to get access to than a Hong Kong hooker," a Time cover story announced. Ari Fleischer, the spokesman for candidate George W. Bush, complained that "John McCain is a media darling."

But the relationship has turned decidedly chilly, with reporters denigrating the Republican's chances and liberal columnists accusing him of selling out. McCain's partisans say this is all about his unwavering support for the administration's effort in Iraq.

"The press has decided to view McCain through the prism of a war they almost unanimously oppose," says Mike Murphy, who was a key adviser in the 2000 campaign. "When McCain deviates from Republican orthodoxy, it's brave. When McCain deviates from the elite media's orthodoxy, they write that he's not brave, which is unfair. There's a bit of a negative bandwagon going on."

I still believe that McCain spent too much time believing his press notices rather than looking to the desires of the Republicans he would need to win presidential primaries. As a result, he finds himself without the press support he's enjoyed for the last few years, and without much of the GOP base that he had hoped would support him. For McCain's campaign, that will be a fatal combination.