Chronicling trends in entertainment, pop culture, politics, the arts, and the uncategorized et cetera.

Shallow Nation

October 17th, 2008 at 12:39 am

Video: John McCain on Late Show with David Letterman 10-16-08

John McCain on Late Show with David Letterman, October 16, 2008

Republican Presidential candidate Senator John McCain returned to Late Show with David Letterman, on October 16, 2008 ending the McCain-Letterman feud begun when he canceled his scheduled appearance on September 24 to suspend his campaign and save the economy.

Or so he told David Letterman, thus sparking the feud when Letterman discovered, while taping the program that McCain was at that same moment being interviewed by CBS News anchor Katie Couric on CBS Evening News, prompting a night of mocking from Letterman and subsequent weeks of mocking until now. (See: Video: David Letterman Reacts to John McCain Suspending Campaign 9-24-08)

Mr. McCain walked on the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theatre, the site of “The Late Show,” in New York around 5:20 p.m. Eastern. Mr. Letterman immediately asked: “Can you stay?”

“Yes, sir,” Mr. McCain said, and adjusted himself in the chair. He quickly added: “Depends on how bad it gets.”

Then Mr. McCain jokingly said that he asked his son in the Marine Corps to FedEx his flak jacket in preparation for the visit.

Mr. Letterman got right to it: “So what happened?”

Mr. McCain answered: “I screwed up.”

After the audience applauded, he continued, “Look at all the conversation I gave you. Including having Mr. Olbermann on.”

(The MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann filled in for Mr. McCain at the last minute on Sept. 24. On Thursday, Mr. Olbermann was shown standing backstage, ready to appear again if the candidate had not arrived.)

John McCain boards a helicopter to Manhattan to get to Late Show with Letterman taping, October 16, 2008

As shown in the photo above, John McCain went to great lengths to attend the taping of Late Show with David Letterman. McCain, his wife, Cindy McCain and his staff had to transfer from the campaign plane at the Philadelphia International Airport and take a helicopter to Manhattan due to airport delays.

Mr. Letterman asked Mr. McCain about Wednesday’s debate, and before long, Joe the plumber was brought up.

“Joe, if you’re watching, I’m sorry,” Mr. McCain said, referring to the media attention that the
Ohio man had received. Mr. McCain said he has not spoken to Joe yet.

Mr. McCain then talked about the economic downturn and described the anger many people feel and the hardships many families are experiencing. “They’re the victims of a drive-by shooting by Washington and Wall Street,” he said.

“Now’s not the time to raise anybody’s taxes except yours, and I guarantee when I’m president, I’ll do it.” He added: “My first executive order!”

Regarding VP candidate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin

Asked by Mr. Letterman whether Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska was his “first choice” for vice president, Mr. McCain said “absolutely.” He added: “I didn’t know her well at all. I knew her reputation.”

Mr. Letterman pressed Mr. McCain on Ms. Palin’s preparation for the office of president, and asked whether she was “the woman to lead us through the next 9/11 attack.”

“Absolutely” she is, Mr. McCain said. “She has inspired Americans. That’s the thing we need.”

Notably, Letterman drew the Bill Ayers-G. Gordon Liddy parallel rarely discussed in the media.

Mr. Letterman also asked if Ms. Palin had said that Senator Barack Obama “pals around with terrorists.” Mr. McCain started to say he didn’t know, then said “Yes. And he did.”

Then Mr. Letterman raised Mr. McCain’s relationship with G. Gordon Liddy. “I’ve met him,” Mr. McCain said. After a segment break, he followed up: “I know Gordon Liddy. He paid his debt, he went to prison, he paid his debt.”

McCain said he knew him. Then, after a commercial break, McCain said, “I know Gordon Liddy. He paid his debt, he went to prison … I’m not in any way embarrassed to know Gordon Liddy.”

“You understand the same case could be made of your relationship with him as is being made with William Ayers?” Letterman said.

McCain said he has been completely open about his relationship with Liddy.

Letterman appeared to ridicule McCain about the implication that Obama and Ayers had a relationship.

“Are they double-dating, are they going to dinner, what are they doing?” Letterman asked. “Are they driving across country?”

“Maybe going to Denny’s,” McCain said.

Letterman said that Obama was 8 when Ayers was 29, and McCain appeared exasperated. “There’s millions of words said in a campaign. C’mon, Dave,” he said.

Source: McCain to Letterman: ‘I Screwed Up’

Video – John McCain on Late Show with David Letterman – October 16, 2008

In the last several weeks, Letterman has made McCain and his running mate his central targets. He ridiculed McCain as old and out-of-touch, saying that at last week’s debate, he “looked like a retiree who couldn’t find his Buick.”He derided Palin as a lightweight, saying, “To improve her foreign policy experience, she recently went to the International House of Pancakes.”

For all the buzz that Letterman’s stinging rebukes have attracted, the attention does not seem to have lifted his ratings. From Sept. 22 through Oct. 5, the most recent data available, “Late Show” averaged 3.79 million viewers, down 1% from the same period last year. And during the week of Sept. 29, the second week of Letterman’s tirade against McCain, the program’s average viewership was 3.63 million, down from 3.94 million the week before.

Source: David Letterman to John McCain: ‘So what exactly happened?’

Photo credit: CBS, Getty Images North America

Also amusing was s segment on MSNBC Countdown with Keith Olbermann’. Olbermann recounted his experience of being on standby in case McCain did not show up. He also observed that, as is not atypical, comedians are often the ones who confront politicians with hard hitting questions, as Letterman did.

Video – MSNBC Countdown with Keith Olbermann: “McCain: I Screwed Up” – October 16, 2008

Related posts: