Letterman chides McCain for suspending his campaign

Oh boy. Looks like the long-friendly relationship between Sen. John McCain and David Letterman may be on the skids.

The late-night comedian was none too pleased that McCain decided to bail on an appearance on the “Late Show” tonight so he could rush back to Washington to deal with the economic crisis –- particularly since he stopped and gave an interview to CBS News anchor Katie Couric along the way.

The Republican presidential nominee was supposed to make his 13th appearance tonight on Letterman’s show, the venue where he originally announced his White House bid in 2007. But he backed out late Wednesday afternoon, saying he was suspending all campaign activities to focus on getting a financial bailout plan through Congress.

During the taping of tonight's show, Letterman told the audience that McCain had called him personally to apologize for standing him up and said he was rushing to the airport to get back to Washington. The late-night host called McCain “an honest-to-God hero,” and questioned why he needed to halt his campaign. Couldn’t his running mate, Sarah Palin, take over while he was in Washington, Letterman asked.

“I’m more than a little disappointed by this behavior,” he said. “We’re suspending the campaign. Suspending it because there’s an economic crisis, or because the poll numbers are sliding?”

The audience whooped and applauded.

“You don’t suspend your campaign,” Letterman added. “Do you suspend your campaign? No, because that makes me think, well, you know, maybe there will be other things down the road –- if he’s in the White House, he might just suspend being president. I mean, we've got a guy like that now!”

Things got worse for McCain when Letterman, in the midst of interviewing substitute guest Keith Olbermann, learned that the GOP candidate was actually still in New York. Not only that, but McCain was about five blocks away at the CBS News headquarters, sitting down for a last-minute exclusive interview with Katie Couric.

Incredulous, Letterman interrupted his chat with Olbermann to show the audience a live shot on the internal CBS news feed of McCain getting touched up by a makeup artist as 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?”

More highlights, including Letterman's Top Ten Questions People are Asking The John McCain Campaign after the jump...

-- Matea Gold

Photo: An earlier appearance by John McCain on "The Late Show with David Letterman." Courtesy CBS.

The Top Ten Questions People are Asking The John McCain Campaign

#10 “I just contributed to your campaign – how do I get a refund?

#9 “It’s Sarah Palin – does this mean I’m pars’dent?”

#8 “Can’t you solve this by selling some of your houses?”

#7 “This is Clay Aiken.  Is McCain single?”

#6 “Do you still think the fundamentals of our economy are strong, Genius?”

#5 “Are you doing all of this just to get out of going on Letterman?”

#4 “What would Matlock do?”

#3 “Hillary here – my schedule is free Friday night.”

"It’ll be interesting here to see if Barack Obama feels the need to suspend his campaign to go down there and work on the economy.  He’s also a senator.  And his running mate, Joe Biden, he’s also a senator.  So there, those two guys have to get back to work.  So of course, they’ll suspend their campaign.  Don’t you think? 

"The Democrats are now at a real disadvantage because Barack Obama has got to race back and fix the economy.  So does Joe Biden.  He has to race back and fix the economy.  But the republicans have Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska.  The Alaska economy is fine.  It don’t need fixing.  It’s fine.  So she’ll continue the campaign.  So the democrats are really in a hole now."

#2 “Is this just an excuse to catch up on napping?”

#1 “This is President Bush – what’s all this trouble with the economy?”

Letterman's extensive criticism continued:

We’re in sorry need and short supply of actual heroes like John McCain… But when you call up at the last minute and cancel a show…This is not the John McCain I know, by God. It makes me believe something is going haywire with the campaign. Someone got to him and said, blow Letterman off, he’s a lightweight.

Sure, there’s an economic crisis. And here’s what you’re do if you’re running your campaign in the middle of an economic crisis and its about to crater…You’re a fourth term senator from Arizona. You handle what you need to handle. Don’t suspend your campaign. You let your campaign go on, shouldered by your vice presidential nominee. That’s what you do…

You say, I gotta get back to Washington to save this country. Good for you. And while I’m gone, campaigning in my stead will be my great running mate from the state of Alaska, Sarah Palin. And she comes out and campaigns. What happened there? What’s the problem? Why isn’t she doing that?

This doesn't smell right. This just doesn’t smell right. Because this is not the way a tested hero behaves. I think someone's put something in his Metamucil.

And let’s say there’s a time of crisis, and the poor guy, because he’s a little older…Palin takes over as president, well, she ought to be ready, because she’s handled crisis like these in the past. Oh, wait a minute, she really hasn’t handled a crisis like this in the past.

He can't run the campaign because the economy is about to crater? Fine, you put in your second string quarterback. Well, where is there second string quarterback?

After Letterman learned that McCain was sitting down at that moment with Katie Couric, he had this to say:

I don’t want to keep beating this thing, but it just really is starting to smell now. Because he says to me on the phone, I took a phone call from John McCain – a lot of senators don’t call me – and so I felt like OK, as part of the national good, I understand and I said good luck and thank you for being attentive to the cause. And he said maybe next time I’ll come in and I’ll bring Sarah Palin. And I said, fine, whatever you need to do, that’s just fine. And he said, yeah, we’re going to go save the country. And then it’s like we caught him getting a manicure or something!

-- Matea Gold

Comments

[Hugo]

First!

Oh, and LOL! Go Letterman!

[Ceres]

Rushing to the airport, indeed... Ha!

[cashew]

Hee!

[RS]

This is way too funny! McCain campaing is 'cratering'... Thank you, very much Senator. The US will recover from this Wall Street mess. We have good senators and house members who are working on this round the clock to make it right for the american people. Well, this is the 'maverick' at work, you see... he doesn't have the confidence to multi-task like Senator Obama can! And, then again as Letterman asks, why do you have Gov. Palin there as your VP candidate? Why can't she take over the campaign... oh, I forgot, she is not supposed to talk to the press, lest the facade comes off. Well, I can't wait for 5 more weeks and get rid of this atrocious 8 years the world has endured. And, Mr. McCain - you have sold out your integrity and principles that you were known for, just that you become the President, how shameful for a celebrated war hero to stoop this low!

[Kimberley]

Oh dear.....McCain's been caught in a big fat lie. Do you think he thought it wouldn't be "appropriate" to be on Letterman's show during this "crisis?" And I thought his campaign was suspended, so what was he talking about with Katie Couric?

[Conrad]

I'm divided on this. I have to agree with Mr. McCain that it would appear inappropriate to be on a late-night talk show during a crisis, as if he were not taking the crisis seriously. Along the same lines, it would be more appropriate to be appearing on the news. HOWEVER... it is also inappropriate to think people should stop campaigning because of the crisis. We didn't stop elections during the Civil War, World War I, or World War II; surely we can keep conducting a campaign now. The election is more sacred than the economy. Campaigns must go on, and I think he's wrong to suspend his, especially if I can't even be sure if he is sincere about it.

[Emanuel Volakis]

Another fiasco from the Repugnicans. What a CROCK of Sh_t! This is nothing more than political theater because McSame and his handlers know that his ratings tanked this week and this debate would have been icing on the cake. The same reason Palin is being kept under wraps for the last 25 days!!! Can you imagine a vice presidential candidate who has not given a press conference, answered a single probing question for almost a month?

What are they afraid of? Gee....I wonder?

WHAT A PATHETIC JOKE!!!!

[Julie Runco]

Oh for crying out loud, standing up David Letterman is just not done..
who in the hell dose he think he is President of the United States.

He can catch up on his memory sleep after the elections when he and Sarah rotate B-B-Q get to gathers , him over see'in the grill and enjoying that backyard view of Russia.

"Dave, just call I'll fill in apparently anyone can ".

[David Andersen]

KABOOM...

[larry]

This is purely a political decision. McCain is plummeting in the polls, so his handlers figure he's better off going off-stage. So now we have both McCain and Palin hiding out. And as far as being needed in Washington, McCain's last vote in the Senate was on April 8. That's a long time ago. Do you remember what you were doing last April 8?

[leumas]

This incident shows McCain is a liar, an awkward one at that. That's on top of his character flaws --- nasty temper and poor judgment. This guy is simply not fit to be a President.

[LFforMcCain]

Dave . . . who gives a flying flip about you being slighted! McCain is going to DC to SAVE THE COUNTRY! Hello? Get a clue! This is our financial 9/11 you ignorant selfish man! Call Obama. . . he's not doing anything tomorrow. . . or the next day . . . or the next day . . . or next January . . . etc.

[Joe]

I hope his "campaign" implodes and we get to see McCain erupt, preferably during one of the debates. This farce has gone on long enough. Lies and distortions I am sick of it. The time has come to speak out and good on Dave for doing so. We have big problems and we need competent leadership for a Change!

[Almost Angeleno]

Conrad said, "I have to agree with Mr. McCain that it would appear inappropriate to be on a late-night talk show during a crisis, as if he were not taking the crisis seriously."

Don't forget what McCain and his pal Dubya were doing during the last crisis.

Eating cake on a tarmac while Katrina drowned New Orleans.

[Mac Thomas]

First and foremost, these comments need some intelligence behind them. What John McCain is doing is being a leader- plain and simple. I really don't understand how anyone can dub this a "political move." If this were about politics, Senator McCain would have continued his campaign. Yet, this speaks to the moral obligation as well as the bedrock of principles of a man running for the Presidency of the United States and that is that the interests of the United States are of the greater good. Remember, John McCain is a Senator, as is Mr. Obama, before these men are candidates. Their first obligation is to serving the people of the United States, not their respective party political campaigns. This is not a time for politics, this is a time for leaders and obviously we are being witness to what true leaders are of: integrity, grit and the good of their Nation, before a game of politics.

[Prof. Leroy Mugande]

What a sorry lack of intellect these postings have!!! You've got to be kidding me! McCain - Palin '08. Now thats true integrity!

[Paolo Alfante]

WOW! ...This can't be good for the Red team.

[Steve]

Has he lost it? Even the most conservative of conservatives must admit, something is not right with that man

[steve rodriguez]

Letterman who i heard the other night extolled the virtues of Joe Bidden and trashed Sarah Palin.
I never watch him! Just another sheep of the mainstream media!

[cody mccall]

Wait a minute! John McCain is rushing back to The Capitol to . . . save our economy? Now, this is the John McCain whose first words upon meeting a stranger are "did you know I was a prisoner of war?", who's serving his fourth term as the Barry Goldwater-esque senator from Arizona which would make this John McCain a REPUBLICAN? THAT McCain? Whose party has been in control of The White House and Congress for most of the past 8 years? The REPUBLICAN Party that has presided over this latest debacle in a long, l-o-n-g line of one disaster after another? And he says HE is going to save the economy? I think his solution is spelled s-o-u-p k-i-t-c-h-e-n. Or maybe b-r-e-a-d l-i-n-e. Or more probably BOTH. I am so relieved that REPUBLICAN McCain is saving our economy that I'm going to celebrate by picking some apples from my backyard apple tree and find a nice spot on the corner and hope a REPUBLICAN buys one. Maybe that REPUBLICAN banker who drove his company into the swamp and then walked away with $40 million will buy one. Ya think?