from Jnyusa
First off, dumb question: when did they toss the coin?
That must have been done in advance, and the candidates must also have known in advance who would go first, otherwise how would Senator McCain dare to be so late? If they had had to wait for his arrival to toss the coin, the national telecast would have been quite far behind schedule, wouldn't it?
Warren was asked this by Larry King last night. He said it was done weeks ago and was done by his own staff without the candidates present. So for at least two weeks, McCain knew of the schedule.
from Jnyusa
(To answer the question sf raised earlier, if that is the way the McCain campaign interpreted the questions, then I understand why the spokesperson would give the answer she did - that he proved personal integrity in Vietnam. That happens not to be a pertinent answer, in my opinion, but it doesn't sound quite so off the wall in that context.)
For the McCain spokesperson to suggest that a veteran could not twist the truth or even lie is completely and totally off the wall. Are we to say that a person who served in a prison camp can then never do anything that is not ethical or moral? That seems to be the implication. And it is absurd and nonsensical because I don't think anyone would actually subscribe to that position when stated clearly.
In fact, we know from the historical record that former prisoner McCain did indeed demonstrate repeated episodes of unethical and immoral behavior when he returned to the States causing the failure of his first marriage. In fact, McCain himself admitted this and told Warren that was his greatest personal moral failing during the event.
So a spokesperson waving the bloody shirt of McCains imprisonment is two things - 1) part of a never ending pattern to dangle McCains imprisonment in front of the American public whenever the opportunity presents itself so to continue to milk it for all it is worth, and 2) bears no relationship at all on anything McCain may have done or not done at the Saturday night event.
Warren had the opportunity on Larry King last night to admit he made an error and said something he should not have said. Instead, he said the whole thing was "bogus" and dismissed it out of hand. He gave a weird explaination actually saying that the US Secret Service would have reported McCain if he had been informed of the questions. While I am not an expert on the Secret Service, I do know their job is one of protection and security. I do not believe they are behavior monitors or gaurdians of debate rules and procedures. The actual idea of a Secret Service agent turning in Senator McCain for getting a phone call with the questions is something out of a Mel Brooks movie. It is ridiculous on its face.
I do not think the cone of silence was meant as a joke. A reasonable and intelligent does not joke to a nation wide audience about the rules for an event like this. Especially about a rule that is intended to insure the fairness and integrity of the process. That is no joke.
Warren may have used a humorous phrase to describe the security procedure, however, he also clearly intended to tell the world that he had taken steps and had installed a procedure to insure the integrity of the event and the inability of McCain to hear the questions. He gave us information that was not true at the time. His last task before going on the air should have been getting a signal from a staff member telling him asto if McCain had arrived and was secure in the cone of silence. But he opened his mouth and took a chance and now is paying for the error.
(I want to shift gears here and approach the same topic from a different direction so i hope its okay to make a new post as I do not want to confuse the two different trains of thought)
There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.... John Rogers