WASHINGTON - John McCain should have seen this one coming.
The Republican presidential candidate suspended his campaign and dramatically announced he was going to Washington to help hammer out a $700 billion bailout to save the U.S. economy.
Then he called to cancel with David Letterman. At the last minute. Leaving the wickedly funny late night comic with blank airtime to fill. Probably not the smartest move.
“Senator John McCain, the Republican candidate for president, was supposed to be on the program tonight,” Letterman said in an opening volley. “But had to cancel the show because he’s suspending his campaign because the economy is exploding.”
“You know who John McCain is,” he added to laughter from his live audience. “He’s the running mate of Sarah Palin, you’re aware of that?”
And that was just the start. Letterman wasn’t about to let it go. After heaping praise on McCain as an American hero, it was right back to the cancellation.
“When you call up and you call up at the last minute and you cancel a show, ladies and gentlemen, that’s starting to smell,” Letterman said. “This, this is not the John McCain I know, by God. It makes me believe something’s gone haywire with the campaign.”
“This just doesn’t smell right because this is not the way a tested hero behaves. Somebody’s putting something in his Metamucil,” he said.
A presidential candidate doesn’t just suspend the campaign, Letterman insisted.
“You go back to Washington. You handle what you need to handle. Don’t suspend your campaign. Let your campaign go on, shouldered by your vice presidential nominee, that’s what you do. You don’t quit,” Letterman said, pausing to let his audience mull over the idea of McCain letting the little-experienced Alaska governor take over the campaign.
“Or is that really a good thing to do?” Letterman asked.
The jibes kept coming. McCain’s age — at 72 he’ll be the oldest president to start a first term in office — and Palin’s inexperience.
He reacted with mock astonishment when he discovered McCain had not raced back to Washington but was instead being interviewed for the CBS evening newscast with Katie Couric. Letterman watched a live TV feed from the studio as McCain’s face was patted with makeup.
“Doesn’t seem to be racing to the airport, does he?”
“Hey John, I got a question. You need a ride to the airport?”
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
Photo credit: Reuters/Molly Riley (McCain at U.S. Capitol on Thursday after returning to Washington for talks on U.S. financial crisis)
Trackback
67 comments so far
Previous | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Next
The Friday night “interview” with Brian Williams was the last straw for my Letterman viewing enjoyment. When did Letterman stop being a comedian and become a political commentator? If McCain’s running mate was a man…would Letterman be giving the nominee so much grief about inexperience. How long has Obama been in the Senate…Less than 4 years! Not what I would call a seasoned veteran AND we’ve only had 1 non-Governor in the White House in the last 30 years! This is not the Letterman I’ve grown to know…he has always been neurotic and obsessive in a fun way but he has gone off the deep end and has lost his way. Shame, shame…I now have got more important things to do with my time than watch the Letterman show…my sock drawer always needs rearranging.
- Posted by PG Merit[...] of perceived emergencies that didn’t always turn out to be emergencies. There is his withdrawal from the David Letterman show because of his claim he had to go to Washington, DC to deal with the [...]
- Posted by The Republicans hope for shotgun weddings and being AWOL « Miscellany101’s WeblogDave has been on the air a long time now. He reminds me lately of other TV icons that stayed too long in the lime light.
- Posted by Todd WBrinkley slipped into senility right before our eyes. Johnny Carson lost touch w/ his audience using badly timed jokes and out of date references.
Are we watching Dave melt down on personal tirades like Kelly her child labor issue in tantrums day after day?
David Letterman appears to be loosing his perspective with an over inflated since of his own importance.
CHANGE IS COMMING. Dave will have to step down sooner or latter, perhaps sooner.
I’ve yet to hear Dave the liberal make fun of Obama’s inexperience.
- Posted by KellyIt will take a few terrorist nukes in this country to shut up all the idiots like Letterman. I really hope it happens, just to see the likes of him get humbled.
- Posted by PaulI AM DISSAPOINTED IN DAVID LETTERMAN- I WILL NO LONGER WATCH HIS SHOW!!THE LAST STRAW WAS HIS NASTY PROGRAM ABOUT JOHN McCain–he has gone too far- making fun is not funny!!–SO WHAT HAS LETTERMAN DONE LATELY FOR THE COUNTRY AND HIS FELLOWMAN!! SHAME! SHAME! PLEASE SEND DAVID HOME…….IS HE A TRUE PATRIOT?? I DO NOT THINK HE IS A COMMEDIAN……THE ONLY THING THAT SMELLS IS HIS TALLENT AND ABILITY TO COPE WITH A PROBLEM!
- Posted by TINADave is a clown. America needs more than just clowns right now.
- Posted by CJ