McCain Expresses Confidence in Ifill

I think this is actually a pretty shrewd move:

INDEPENDENCE, MO — Sen. John McCain says he is confident PBS reporter Gwen Ifill will “do a totally objective job” moderating Thursday’s vice presidential debate despite authoring a new book that is reportedly favorable toward Sen. Barack Obama.

Asked during an interview Wednesday with Fox’s Carl Cameron whether Ifill should excuse herself as the debate moderator, McCain acknowledged the potential conflict of interest but expressed confidence in the longtime journalist.

“I think that Gwen Ifill is a professional and I think that she will do a totally objective job because she is a highly respected professional,” McCain said during an interview at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. “Does this help…if she has written a book that’s favorable to Senator Obama? Probably not. But I have confidence that Gwen Ifill will do a professional job and I have that confidence.”

Campaign officials said they did not know about the book until today even though Ifill’s upcoming publication was mentioned in a September 4th Washington Post profile.

Well, no wonder McCain didn't know about the new book. Nobody reads the Washington Post.

McCain did a smart thing with this statement. He effectively put Ifill in a box. She's now going to have to be painstakingly fair to Palin lest she fall short of being a "highly respected professional".

And it's not easy to walk that kind of tightrope with a broken ankle.