John McCain, once a media mingler, now keeps his distance - LA Times

[steve2470]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/10/john-mccain-onc.html

It has come to this for the presidential candidate who once, only partly in jest, referred to the press as "my base."

As The Ticket recently noted, the days when John McCain and a raft of reporters seemingly enjoyed kibitzing are long gone -- the victim of the pitched battle for the White House. And the change is epitomized by the logistics aboard the jets carrying McCain and his rival, Barack Obama, from battleground state to battleground state.

Obama has never come close to emulating McCain's trademark mingling with the media. But The Times' Peter Nicholas, who has covered both men, relates that compared to the Obama campaign plane, McCain’s Straight Talk Air these days gives the candidate maximum privacy.

Here's Nicholas' report:

An opaque brown curtain separates McCain from the traveling press corps. It remained closed through most of the flight this morning from Nashville to Allentown, Pa. A flight attendant opened it during descent.

*more at link above*

[shraby]

1. Reminds me of when Reagan was in his

second term and the media was kept away from him because they were afraid of what would come out of his mouth to them.