Wow.
Here’s what the press is saying:
Memo to the McCain campaign: Don’t blow off David Letterman.
The “Late Show” host lit into Republican presidential nominee John McCain Wednesday after Sen. McCain canceled his appearance on the show, telling Letterman he was suspending his campaign to go to Washington to deal with the nation’s financial crisis.
“I’m more than a little disappointed by this behavior,” Letterman said. “We’re suspending the campaign. Suspending it because there’s an economic crisis, or because the poll numbers are sliding?
Letterman told the audience during the taping of Wednesday’s show that McCain had called him personally to apologize for bailing. According to Letterman, McCain said he couldn’t appear because he was rushing to the airport to get back to Washington.
But midway through the broadcast, Letterman appeared to learn that the Arizona senator was actually still in New York. In fact, McCain was just a few blocks away, at the CBS News headquarters. He was preparing for a last-minute exclusive interview with Katie Couric.
Incredulous, Letterman interrupted his interview with Keith Olbermann (who had filled in as a substitute guest for McCain) to show the audience a live shot on the internal CBS News feed of a makeup artist putting the finishing touches on McCain while he waited to talk to Couric.
“He doesn’t seem to be racing to the airport, does he?” Letterman said, shouting at the television monitor: “Hey, John, I got a question! You need a ride to the airport?”
“Hey Senator, can I give you a ride home?” Letterman joked.
He used the on-again, off-again appearance to crack jokes at McCain’s expense.
“You don’t suspend your campaign. This doesn’t smell right,” he said. “This isn’t the way a tested hero behaves.” And he joked: “I think someone’s putting something in his metamucil.”
And another: “What are you going to do if you’re elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We’ve got a guy like that now!”
His critique reached a high point when he learned that at the very moment Mr. McCain was supposed to be on the couch next to him being interviewed, the senator was at the CBS News center three blocks away in Manhattan, getting ready to be interviewed by the CBS News anchor, Katie Couric.
“He ditched you,” Mr. Olbermann said.
Mr. Letterman ordered his director to put on a live feed from that location, which showed Mr. McCain getting made up to go on with Ms. Couric. “He doesn’t seem to be racing to the airport,” Mr. Letterman observed.
After listening to some questions from Ms. Couric, Mr. Letterman said, “Hey, John, I’ve got a question: You need a lift to the airport?”
He then asked Mr. Olbermann if he thought this was all Mr. McCain’s fault, or whether other factors had come into play.
Conde Nast Portfolio:
Psst. Have you heard? John McCain was caught on tape with his proverbial pants down just two days before the first presidential debate and as one of the most watched elections enters its final fervent weeks.
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The final blow came during the middle of the taping, when Letterman learned that McCain was not rushing back to Washington, as he had said, but was being prepped for an appearance on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, which like The Late Show, is produced by CBS.
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