Best of The Streak: McCain vs. The Media, Part XVII

First appeared July 16, 2008

OMAHA, Neb. — This is simply too good not to flag. We’ve been talking about the sticky relationship the McCain campaign has with the media of late — well, here’s a visual aid, via Huffington Post’s Nico Pitney. This morning in St. Louis, Sen. John McCain gave interviews to the local media. The camera was rolling behind-the-scenes, capturing this interaction between two of McCain’s senior media people — Press Secretary Brooke Buchanan and Communications Adviser Nicolle Wallace — and the local television reporters, who were annoyed at the efforts of McCain’s handlers to micromanage the shot. Have a look:

For all those who favor just “letting McCain be McCain,” it’s not going to happen — not with this crew at least. They decide what angles he’s shot from (never from the left, he has scars from a bout with melanoma), and they make sure there is always some patriotic imagery in the background, no matter which direction the camera is facing. Don’t believe me? Pay attention next time you see McCain on television. Also, in case you’re not keeping track at home, there has now been just one full press conference in the past 11 days. It’s all about the image, and making sure McCain talks to the media — particularly the national press –as little as possible.

*Now that the roller coaster that was 2008 has come to an end, we thought it would be fun to look back at some of our most popular, thought-provoking and entertaining posts from The Streak over the past year. This post was chosen by TWI staff as one of the most memorable of 2008. *