Chuck Todd must have gotten yelled at.
After yesterday's on-air description of the utter lack of chemistry between McCain and Palin - including speculation on whether McCain either hates or really, really hates Palin at this point in the campaign (video down the page) - Chuck Todd walks it back on First Read (scroll down):
The dangers of parachuting in: Spending part of the day with the McCain-Palin campaign for yesterday’s interview was both an enviable and unenviable task. It's always tricky to over-read exhaustion. The campaign pushed back hard on an initial impression one of us said on MSNBC -- that there was a lack of chemistry between McCain and Palin during the interview -- and cautioned us not to read too much into the campaign soup that's exhaustion, mixed with a couple of tough news days for the ticket, some bad poll numbers, a healthy skepticism of the press, a pretty tough New York Times Magazine piece, and the fact that the two candidates don't spend every day together. It was the same dynamic as you might see with Obama and Biden, except they have the luxury of having the motivation of positive news on their side, which can loosen folks up. Bottom line: The McCain campaign appears a bit tight (which is understandable given where we are in the campaign). But there is a bunker mentality that folks like us, when we parachute in, can miss. It's a good lesson for all of us: Always be cautious from over-analyzing a situation; it can be dangerous punditry.
Oh, Chuck, Chuck, Chuck... you let the McCain campaign make you cower.
What happened, Chuck? Did rick Davis threaten not to let you into campaign events if you didn't qualify what you were so sure of just yesterday? Did they tell you you'd suffer severe tire swing restrictions? No more BBQ? Did they threaten to take away your plane seat?
For crying out loud, man. You did some fine reporting yesterday. Stand by it. Don't let McCain's minions throw you off your game.
Hoo boy. I just read the post just below the one I quoted here, and it sounds like somebody really got up Todd's ass about what he said on the air. Check it out:
One other point: This is not an easy time for the trailing campaign, as more and more outsiders begin pointing fingers and assigning blame. It's human nature to look over your shoulder and wonder what's coming next. The McCain campaign team seems to be a more cohesive bunch than Kerry’s, Gore’s or Dole’s, so the backbiting might be held to a minimum. But it doesn't make it any easier to read these pre-bituaries.
So now it's outsiders that are 'pointing fingers?' Just yesterday, Todd was talking about how McCain's campaign was already gearing up for the first round of recriminations. Way to kiss up, there, Chuck.