From The Road
March 7, 2008 1:59 PM

McCain Irked by Questions About 2004 Veep Talks

(CBS)
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.
Tags:
McCain
Topics:
John McCain
Add a Comment See all 38 Comments
by standlee5 March 8, 2008 3:07 AM EST
Why not pick Kerry as his veep. Why not pick Clinton as his veep. Or how about Rice.
Reply to this comment
by smirk5 March 8, 2008 2:28 AM EST
I guess the real question is why McCainBush once lied to the press about having the conversation with Kerry since McCainBush is such a straight-talking Maverick.
Reply to this comment
by smirk5 March 8, 2008 2:25 AM EST
A simple question and easily answered by someone who isn''t a hothead. Senator Maverick could have just answered with some polite straight-talk and answered the effing question with some class.
Reply to this comment
by ioweign March 8, 2008 1:52 AM EST
Why the hell is a 2004 conversation about being kerry''''s VP relevant. Everyone knows he was asked. Big F''''in deal!!!!

Posted by lilvinnyb at 03:32 PM : Mar 07, 2008




Hey - it is going to go back much farther than 2004. If this annoys him, the skeletons will dance...
Reply to this comment
by keithle1 March 8, 2008 12:10 AM EST
I hate Gramps. No way he becomes our next President. Thank God he''ll be too old when the next election rolls around.

Four more years of the Republicans. Can''t imagine anything worse.
Reply to this comment
by liberalme March 7, 2008 11:57 PM EST
Posted by TheGateway1

Perhaps you should read the rules. Mutiple postings is rude!
Reply to this comment
by standlee5 March 7, 2008 10:48 PM EST
McCain/Kerry, McCain/Clinton, McCain/Lieberman, McCain/Rice, McCain/Bailey-Hutchison, McCain/Edwards. Whatever. Let''s just get moving.
Reply to this comment
by j-whitman March 7, 2008 10:28 PM EST
You folks catch old John with this one ???

"I''m a proud liberal conservative, er, conservative republican"
Reply to this comment
by sheila2u-2009 March 7, 2008 10:28 PM EST
Sheesh...the media is so *** out of control....deal with the issues, who cares about this junk.
Trying to ruffle the Guys feathers....so rustle the other ones feathers, he will DUH....your questions !
Reply to this comment
by miles1967-2009 March 7, 2008 10:25 PM EST
MCCain is a loose cannon who does not have the judgment, patience, or interest in helping Joe or Jane America. He is an ill-informed, myopic, close-minded old man who is easily swayed by the bigoted religious right. Check out the result of his BRILLIANT support of the "Surge", not to mention the fatally wrong idea to go to war with Iraq in the first place, and not actually go after the 9/11 terrorists in the first place. Check this link out:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/18722376/the_myth_of_the_surge
Reply to this comment
by homjett March 7, 2008 10:06 PM EST
This is really a non story, I watched the video, an it was just a case of a NYT Reporter trying to ruffle his feathers, trying for another GOTCHA moment. Was this a case of the MSM trying to make McCain look bad just to draw attention away from the disgusting tactics by their two Candidates??? Would these Reporters time be better spent asking questions like what McCain would do about the gas prices, why we cannot drill more, more refinery''s.
Reply to this comment
by cdfoxtrot March 7, 2008 9:58 PM EST
I am in agreement with McCain going off on this reporter. Why shouldn''''''''t he be allowed to jump in her face? Who says having a temper is a bad thing?

Better than being a complacent Democrat President who''''''''d bend over and take it up the backside if the country is attacked

Posted by TheGateway1

The world doesn''t need a hot-head in charge of the world''s largest nuclear arsenal. That''s why having a temper is not good if you''re the prez.

As I recall, the US took it up the backside on 9/11 and after, and that was with a Repiglican in the WH, and a Repiglican controlled House and Senate. Instead of going after the perpetrators of 9/11, they embarked on the Israel-lobby motivated illegal war. Let me guess: you support that too??





Reply to this comment
by singingrick March 7, 2008 9:50 PM EST



Better than being a complacent Democrat President who''''''''d bend over and take it up the backside if the country is attacked

Posted by TheGateway1 at 06:32 PM : Mar 07, 2008


You mean like Bush did with Bin Laden?

Hey, you find those WMD''s yet?

No?

Keep looking.

lol!




Reply to this comment
by gracchus1 March 7, 2008 9:46 PM EST
By no means am I defending the media because we all knwo that reporters can be obnoxious. At the same time, what if McCain is at a press conference and loses his cool. Even members of his own staff publicly have noted that at times he can be a bit of a loose cannon when he gets angry. Not good.
Reply to this comment
by March 7, 2008 9:43 PM EST
That was a temper?? You''ve got to be kidding me. He was almost to Mitt Romney''s (non)-"Temper" shown on the discussion on lobbyists. The press is really, really reaching on this one.
Reply to this comment
by rrcampbell11 March 7, 2008 9:07 PM EST
This supposed foreign policy expert is indeed Senator Hothead.

Just what we need for world diplomacy. (not!)

Elisabeth Bumiller was right to ask "Why are you so angry?"

The American people and foreign leaders will not want to ask this about their leader.

Presumptive nominee, maybe, pompous ***, yes.
Reply to this comment
by walt1944-2009 March 7, 2008 8:48 PM EST
John "the Great Pretender" McCain is displeased that reporters are quizzing him about who his running mate will be.

Showing the temper he is famous for, McCain was more than "testy" with reporters about the subject, especially when a talk he had with John Kerry 3 years ago was brought up!

McCain, aside from having a reputation as a "testy" person, also has a reputation of being an idiot and making stupid decisions that come back to hurt and haunt him later if not sooner (something like the current Great Emperor!).

Assuming Kerry would accept, which would be totally mind-blowing itself, making Kerry his running mate would mean a Democratic "landslide" in November, with every neocon Fascist Nazi Republican refusing to vote! The Democrats would be free to nominate their mascot, "Frances, the Talking Mule" to run against McCain, and the mule would WIN!!!!!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!
sig heil, McCain????
Reply to this comment
by soldat44 March 7, 2008 8:42 PM EST
Typical NY Times BS...
Reply to this comment
by cdfoxtrot March 7, 2008 8:39 PM EST
If McOldGuy gets so testy over such a trivial matter, how''s he going to react at being woken up for that "3 am phone call" they keep talking about? He''s too old and crabby for this position.
Reply to this comment
by jimmb4 March 7, 2008 8:30 PM EST
My friends. Let''s have another war.
Reply to this comment
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