McCain camp: Palin book “revisionist and self-serving fiction”

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Politico reported on Monday McCain camp: Palin account 'all fiction' Well, Duh! What did you expect?

Top aides to Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign hit back at Sarah Palin Friday and Saturday, calling the former vice presidential nominee’s soon-to-be-released book “revisionist and self serving” “fiction.”

Campaign manager Steve Schmidt, who emerges as Palin’s nemesis in the advance excerpts that have surfaced from her forthcoming account of the campaign, “Going Rogue,” told POLITICO Saturday that Palin's charges about him were made up.

"It's all fiction," he said.

With a laugh, the shaved-headed political operative asked: "Why is the bald guy always the villain?"

OK, that is funny. Good one Steve.

Former McCain strategist John Weaver slammed Palin for using the book for “petty and pathetic” score-settling.

“Sarah Palin reminds me of Jimmy Stewart in the movie 'Harvey,' complete with imaginary conversations. All books like these are revisionist and self-serving, by definition,” Weaver wrote in an email to POLITICO. “But the score-settling by someone who wants to be considered a serious national player is petty and pathetic.”

Oh, snap!

Longtime McCain hand and former campaign manager Mark Salter offered a cooler response disputing Palin’s account, and told POLITICO in an email that it does not line up with his memory of events.

Explaining the campaign’s decision to limit press access as Election Day drew closer, Salter said that “after we had been criticized in the press for a lack of disciplined messaging earlier in the campaign when we provided frequent and unscheduled access to the candidate, we felt it necessary to adopt the same deliberativeness and discipline employed by our opponents and rely less on impromptu press conferences with our traveling press, and more on interviews arranged in advance so our candidates would have the same opportunity our opponents enjoyed to discuss and prepare for the interview.”

Reflecting on the first set of interviews Palin did as the GOP vice presidential nominee, Salter said that the sit downs were “discussed and agreed to by senior members of the campaign staff in consultation with the candidate” and that Wallace did not choose either the journalists or the outlets Palin spoke to.

“Nicolle Wallace, along with others, was tasked with helping the Governor prepare for some of her interviews. She did not decide which interview requests the candidates would accept. Nor was she tasked with securing the candidates’ agreement,” Salter said.

“Those decisions were made by campaign management in consultation with the candidates. Campaign management and the candidates agreed to multi-segment interviews so the Governor would maintain a presence in the media while she was in debate prep,” he added. “And to the best of my knowledge, any interviews the Governor had with the individuals she referred to were approved and arranged by the campaign management with her agreement.”

I take it Ronald Reagan's Eleventh Commandment "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican," is no longer applicable. Usually this kind of thing waits a term or two before someone writes a book. Sarah Barracuda couldn't even wait a year to diss the campaign that rescued her from political obscurity in the Great White North and turned her into an overnight media sensation. Nothing like stepping all over those who gave you a hand on your way up the ladder. There's a word for that.

It's yet to be seen how Palin supporters will divide their vote in the Arizona U.S. Senate Republican primary in 2010. There may be an upset opportunity here for someone with the ability to seize Palin supporters. What fun it would be to see Sarah Palin campaign in Arizona for John McCain's opponent in the Republican primary. One can dream.

And Democrats had better find themselves a legitimate senate candidate just in case.