McCain Irked by Questions About 2004 Veep Talks

From CBS News' Dante Higgins:

NEW ORLEANS -- On his flight to New Orleans this morning, John McCain lost patience with a reporter who kept quizzing him about his 2004 conversation with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., about being his running mate.

New York Times reporter Elisabeth Bumiller asked him about a Times article from May 2004, in which McCain said he did not meet with Kerry.

“Everybody knows that I had a private conversation. Everybody knows that. That I had a conversation,” McCain said. “And you know it too. You know it. You know it. So I don’t even know why you asked.”



Bumiller went on to say she read it in the New York Times and McCain charged back. “I don’t know what you read or may heard of, I don’t know the circumstances. Maybe in May of ‘04 I hadn’t had the conversation,” he said.

“I don’t know, but it’s well-known that I had the conversation. It is absolutely well-known by everyone. So do you have a question on another issue?”

Bumiller pushed to get more on the conversation by asking McCain if he could describe the conversation. “No, of course not. I don’t describe private conversations,” he said.

The reporter tried again “Okay. Can I ask you,” she said before she was cut off again. “Why should I? Then there’s no such thing as a private conversation,” McCain said.

Bumiller then asked him, “Why are you so angry?”

“Pardon me?” he asked.

“Nevermind, nevermind,” Bumiller said before changing the subject.