More on the Mother Jones Accusation
While I have no intimate knowledge of the McCain campaigns procedures for taking questions, I do resent the implication that I would be chosen to ask a question based on the assumption that I would either 1). ask a "softball" question, or 2). only write favorable posts about McCain.
As a conservative writer, I do obviously tend to agree with McCain more than Obama. But that hasn't stopped me from writing critical posts about him from time to time, or from asking him tough questions he would probably prefer to avoid.
Of course, the difference is that as a conservative writer, my criticisms of McCain come from the right -- not the left. This is a concept the liberal bloggers can't understand ...
Update: A few more thoughts on this ...
... Think of the hypocrisy; I can't even get on an Obama conference call -- nor would I expect to be invited/allowed on an Obama call. And if I were on an Obama call, I wouldn't expect to be invited to ask a question. Yet Corn assumes he should get the nod.
... It's not like Mother Jones is part of the establishment/mainstream media. Why should McCain take a question from a liberal website like Mother Jones when Obama won't even let me listen in?
... Traditional press conferences allow politicians to choose which reporters get to ask questions. Even if McCain's team were screening calls (which is unclear) -- how is that different than a face-to-face press conference?