McCain Tries to Stop the Bleeding

As I'm writing this John McCain is holding a press conference to address the bimbo story run by the NY Times which alleges McCain had an inappropriate relationship with a female lobbyist. I realize that candidates have to try and stomp these things out, but this is clearly a no-win situation for McCain. He's speaking in a very low-key manner and almost sounds contrite, even though he probably did nothing wrong. I think a more forceful denial would have been warranted.

If anything, a mild rebuke to the Times will do nothing more than keep the story alive and give the jackals in the press reason to dig even deeper.

Isn't it interesting that the NY Times endorsed John McCain for president despite knowing that this story was sitting out there ready to be sprung when it would meet their needs.

Over at the Arkansas blog they're wondering if Mike Huckabee knew this story was coming and perhaps that's why he's still in the race:

Don't you think Mike Huckabee had to know the panty posse was hard at work on John McCain? Has the Huckabee miracle occurred? The cable TV shouters are going bats***. "You just never know when something is going to happen to alter the dynamics of the race," said Huckabee, according to an MSNBC reporter.

While that might have been an interesting theory three weeks ago, mathematically it's nearly impossible for McCain to lose now, even if the Times comes up with pictures of him carnally cavorting with small farm animals. Hence, the timing of the story.

The story is so thinly sourced that it will be hard to make anything really stick, but it will leave a faint stench throughout the campaign.