Fire up the Barbie STAT

Obviously the McCain campaign is counting on their base in the press. They believe that they benefit from a double standard. I know it because at least one of them said so to Mark Ambinder.

a senior McCain campaign adviser told me last week. [snip]

Concerns about whether McCain is coming off too mean, they say, are irrelevant. The media, they believe, has created double standard that allows them to view Obama's contempt for McCain as in-bounds and McCain's attempts to draw contrasts with Obama as out-of-bounds.

I think that they are going too far. My evidence ? That I know that at least one of them told Ambinder that they were counting on a double standard. Clearly that was meant to be on background (as in our little secret) and the senior campaign ad never imagined that Ambinder would quote him.

Ambinder has been bending over backwards for ballance. He just made it clear that he is not willing to bend over forwards and ... if you get my drift.

Ambinder is just one journalist, but they move in packs. I don't think many want to be known as one of the few who could be counted on to be loyal to McCain in spite of the facts and evidence.


via Matt Yglesias.