The McCain Team Fights Back

The NY Times hit piece on John McCain did not come as a surprise to anybody (except maybe McCain). It had been known for a long time that the Times had something they wanted to publish but hadn't come up with the appropriate timing when maximum damage could be done. Because of that the McCain rapid response folks had several months to plan their response, and when the story dropped, they leaped into action (from The Politico):

Since November, McCain’s campaign had feared the story and its impact. But the delay also allowed McCain’s backers to plot exactly how they would respond.

An hour after The Times posted the story at about 7:45 p.m., Hazelbaker issued a scathing response labeling it “a hit and run smear campaign.” Soon after, the campaign sent reporters the extensive response prepared for the Times back in December. After that, the press received excerpts from the appearance of Robert Bennett, the Washington lawyer hired by McCain to try to deal with the newspaper on the story, on Fox’s “Hannity & Colmes.”

At the same time, McCain backers were gathering up favorable reaction and analysis on the cable networks and forwarding it to conservative media voices and other opinion makers on the right.

“We wanted to be fast, forward-leaning and as open and transparent as possible,” said a McCain aide involved in the effort.

Craig Shirley, a public relations consultant working for McCain, called conservative media critic Brent Bozell—a McCain skeptic. Bozell, who heads the media watchdog group, Media Research Center, then issued a statement ripping the Times while defending McCain. Shirley’s firm sent that criticism, along with comments from Pat Buchanan, out to all conservative contacts, ranging from radio hosts to producers to bloggers. As one of the first conservative leaders to come to McCain's defense, Bozell provided ideological cover to others, including morning talk show host Joe Scarborough—another McCain skeptic—to support McCain and go after the Times.

In late-night e-mails to reporters and early-morning appearances on television, McCain’s mouthpieces took the ferocious and unrelenting approach of a political campaign.

Before breakfast, Patrick Hynes, a blogger on contract with McCain, pieced together the reaction of outraged bloggers on the right and blasted an e-mail titled: “What Some Folks are Saying about Times Hit Job.”

Bennett said on NBC’s “Today” show that the article was “a non-story” and “a hatchet job.” On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” he called it “a real smear.”

Rick Davis, McCain’s campaign manager, went on CBS’ “The Early Show” and called it “the worst kind of tabloid journalism” and a “fabrication.”

A few hours later, Davis blasted a fundraising e-mail with the subject line "Here We Go," urging followers to "help to counteract the liberal establishment and fight back against the New York Times by making an immediate contribution today."

Not long after the network and cable morning news shows led with the story, top McCain supporters appeared on the same programs to chastise the Times and denigrate the story. Conservative publications including The American Spectator and Human Events weighed in to defend McCain. By late morning, Shirley’s firm had lined up a half-dozen conservative leaders to attack the Times, and booked guests on dozens of radio and cable television shows. In addition, Black, Bennett and Davis all made the rounds.

Also on in the morning and for the rest of the day was Todd Harris, a top aide in Fred Thompson’s campaign who had previously worked for McCain in 2000.

The Times did not immediately defend itself, letting the story speak for itself until Executive Editor Bill Keller issued a statement Thursday morning saying the account was “nailed down to our satisfaction.”

With silence from the paper, the McCain campaign was free to frame the debate.

There's no question that the Times' article has badly backfired on them. If there's anything that might pursuade some conservatives to give McCain another look it's an attempted hit by the lefty press, especially one so patently unfair as this one. It won't make me vote for him, but others will likely decided that it's better to hold their nose and support him rather than risk a Dem victory in November*.

The Times wanted a knockout blow and they may have gotten it, but the person they knocked out may be a Democrat.

*NOTE: I have the luxury of withholding my vote from McCain because I live in California and no Republican is going to win this state in November. Perhaps if I lived in a state where there will be an actual contest I'd reconsider.