McCain Campaign Manager Pulls a Sarah Palin

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin remains in the political equivalent of a witness protection program, shielded from reporters questions in a manner unheard of for even the most-secretive (read: Cheney-esque) of past veep prospects.

And the condition that renders the McCain campaign unable to answer questions seems to be spreading.

The McCain headquarters has in recent days been vehemently denying that campaign manager Rick Davis has during the current campaign been accepting substantial monthly payments from messed-up-mortgage giant Freddie Mac. There was never any question that Davis has earned much of his living in the past from Freddie Mac, which paid an "advocacy" group run by the McCain manager $30,000 a month through late 2005.

But the McCain camp said Davis had cut his lobbying and "advocacy" ties to the scandal-plagued lender. Davis, himself, that "it's been over three years since there's been any activity in this area and since I had any contact with those folks."

Davis was lying.

As Newsweek and the New York Times have reported this week, Freddie Mac paid a lobbying firm Davis co-owns a $15,000 a month "consulting fee" from 2005 until August of this year -- long after Davis started working with the McCain campaign.

Sounds like Davis has some explaining to do.

Unfortunately, the Palin's got his tongue.

Like his vice-presidential candidate, Davis is suddenly unavailable to the press.

Davis had been scheduled to lunch Wednesday with reporters and editors at a high-brow Washington event sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. It would have been a perfect place to clear the air, if Davis chose to do so.

Instead, the embattled campaign manager announced hours before the event that he would send an underling.

Davis, it was announced, would be "heading out on the trail."

Perhaps he and Sarah Palin can hide from the press together.

Comments (15)

1. "Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin remains in the political equivalent of a witness protection program, shielded from reporters questions in a manner unheard of for even the most-secretive (read: Cheney-esque) of past veep prospects."

   That's not ture. Palin just did a TWO-part, in-depth interview with...

   Sean Hannity.

   Where he asked tough, probing questions like "How did you feel when you got chosen by Senator McCain?" and "How are you holding up under these blistering attacks by the Liberal Media?" and "Is that chair comfortable?"

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/24/2008 @ 12:17pm

2. Why are the Rovians blasting the cannons?

   Because about the only thing that might make a "working class" whitey not pull the lever for McCain is if his American dream is not one they can hope to work toward, but one of under-the-table, insider corruption.

   Still, only a few would stay home.

   And a smaller number would actually cross0ver.

   Posted by winyahn at 09/24/2008 @ 12:34pm

3. Wars against browney and blackey are just fine.

   Extreme whitey wealth is just so fine.

   The Palin-affirmative-action program just makes whitey worship all the more wonderful.

   She's Ayn Rand herself, but better. A breeder. With offspring who are already breeding too. Woweee.

   But where's whitey's boogie man? Anger and attack is the Rush-Rove-Cheney way.

   What's whitey to do when there's no Saddam. No Hillary. No Bill either.

   The cut and run and surge crap is already pretty worn. So Muslim slurs, Rev Wright, commercials with 1-2-3, black person 1 - black person 2 - and... yep Obama. That's about all that's left.

   ANSWER: attack the hand that feeds you.

   "McCain campaign not backing off its attacks on The New York Times"

   Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

   Posted by winyahn at 09/24/2008 @ 12:52pm

4. Maybe Rick Davis is scared of witches, too????

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/24/2008 @ 1:31pm

5. One would think that there would be an explanation immediately forthcoming if there was one.

   What a disgrace. Country First indeed!

   Posted by OneVote at 09/24/2008 @ 1:51pm

6. The McPOWhowmanyMANSIONS camp would have us believe that Rick Davis, kinda like McPOWhowmanyMANSIONS not driving one of his 13 cars for a few weeks-- would therefore no longer own it, drive it again nor even sell it..., but most importantly, remember that the car doesn't really pay him anything!

   Sounds like a SNL skit to me.

   Posted by hsuBfools at 09/24/2008 @ 1:59pm

7. Did he mean "hiding" out on the trail?

   Posted by MajMike at 09/24/2008 @ 2:02pm

8. Or more like:

   http://tinyurl.com/493jjj

   Posted by hsuBfools at 09/24/2008 @ 2:52pm

9. WHO will come out on Friday night and tell us how "McCain won the debate" and answer questions from the Press?

   Davis?.....no

   McCain's Vice-Presidential nominee?....no

   heheh

   Posted by Maskdelta at 09/24/2008 @ 2:58pm

10. mccain?.......no

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/24/2008 @ 3:23pm

11. Graham: You're all a bunch of whiners. Gone! Fiorina: McCain couldn't run a company. Gone! Davis: No connection to Freddie Mac. Gone! Palin: Not gone because she's never come out of hiding. McCain: No debate. Gone!

    This thing better end soon because there won't be anyone from McCain's campaign left!

    Posted by aljstl at 09/24/2008 @ 5:44pm

12. Graham: You're all a bunch of whiners. Gone! Fiorina: McCain couldn't run a company. Gone! Davis: No connection to Freddie Mac. Gone! McCain: No debate. Gone! Palin: Won't come out of hiding. Soon to be gone!

    Posted by aljstl at 09/24/2008 @ 5:48pm

13. They can afford this insanity and stay competitive, how?

    The massive super surrogate media. Sure there are a few exceptions to maintain the illusion of fairness...

    But who/what = FOX in scale and bias?

    Who/what = Clear Channel in scale and bias?

    ABC NBC are just lite versions of same.

    Posted by winyahn at 09/24/2008 @ 9:09pm

14. 22 countries WITHOUT big brother (Fox, Viacom, NBC, CNN, ABC, Clear Channel) prefer Obama, by how much?

    4:1

    Posted by winyahn at 09/24/2008 @ 9:25pm

15. Should have referenced http://politicalwire.com/archives/2008/09

    /09/bbc_poll_most_countries_want_obama_elected.html

    "A new BBC World Service poll shows that in all 22 countries surveyed, the citizens would prefer Sen. Barack Obama elected president of the United States instead of Sen. John McCain. In fact, Obama is preferred by a four to one margin on average across the 22,000 people polled."

    Posted by winyahn at 09/24/2008 @ 9:36pm