A reporter asks the McCain campaign to back up some basic claims made by a senior strategist in a public conference call.
The campaign refuses, with a prominent spokesperson accusing the reporter, Ben Smith, of being "in the tank."
As in -- no, we don't have to justify what we say, and the fact that you would question our assertions is proof-positive that you've absorbed the Obama campaign's worldview.
Not only is that Addington-esque in its logic -- the spokesperson is PAID by one tank, so how can he possibly make that accusation credibly -- it's also immature (like throwing reporters off planes) and counterproductive. Maybe I'm in Ben Smith's tank for saying this.
Perhaps we can forgive the McCain campaign for this moment of irrationality; even as they've turned the press into a bugbear, the McCain campaign has managed to operate a functioning press office that answers reporters questions and its officials are generally helpful and polite.
The same officials who criticize reporters to our faces and behind our backs also help us understand policy, or get in touch with a campaign official, or explain the underpinnings of their tactics and strategems.
Here's hoping that today's outburst was an aberration and not a sign that the campaign will be shutting down its press shop for good.
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