Given the numerous questions about the thin sourcing of the NYT piece and the fact that it can potentially affect a presidential campaign in a significant way, will the NYT reporters be answering any questions about their quite questionable reporting?
They were on "lock-down" last night:
The four Times reporters primarily involved with the McCain story, along with top editors, were in lock-down Wednesday night..They're refusing comment to Patrick Hynes' radio show, but given that he's a McCain operative, that's more understandable than other radio shows. Will they appear anywhere else? Hugh's always good about getting press types on the line.
Washington bureau chief Dean Baquet, when contacted by Politico, wrote in an e-mail: “I am going to pass for now. The story speaks for itself.”
Reporter David Kirkpatrick echoed a similar line when reached by phone: “I think the story speaks for itself. This one I can’t help you with.”
It's infuriating that reporters can just whistle past a graveyard of their own creation, and pretend they're not part of the story.
Ha: "Since it was in the New York Times, I don't take it at face value," McCain said when asked about former adviser John Weaver.
That was my favorite line. I think he should have been more explicit about the absolutely deplorable quality of the reporting involved.