Just before a private meeting in Aspen, Colo. with oilman-turned-wind energy advocate T. Boone Pickens — who was, ironically, a principal financier of the "Swift Boat" attacks on Sen. John Kerry — Sen. John McCain received a question from a reporter about his response to the new book from author Jerome Corsi smearing Sen. Barack Obama. Corsi also co-authored  "Unfit For Command" in 2004,  which attacked Kerry’s military service in Vietnam. From CBS News:

A reporter tried to ask McCain about a new anti-Obama book, to which McCain responded cryptically "gotta keep your sense of humor."


McCain staffer Brooke Buchanan then stretched her arms in front of her boss, saying “we’re not doing that,” and escorted reporters to the door.

With McCain campaign’s recent restriction of media access to the candidate, some traveling reporters have adopted the guerrilla tactic of hurling questions at McCain whenever he is in earshot, hoping for a response. Typically, McCain does not respond. The fact that he did choose to respond to this question — and he not only didn’t take the opportunity to condemn the book’s smear attacks against Obama, he essentially said they are funny — is telling. Just as President George W. Bush did not disparage the Swift Boat TV ads until after they stopped airing in 2004, McCain — who did condemn the attacks on Kerry — is allowing Corsi to do his dirty work now. If McCain was serious about his desire for an "honorable campaign" — as he has frequently said — it would seem appropriate that he should forcefully and publicly reject Corsi’s attacks on Obama.