The NY Times' article about presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain's superclose relationship with a young, attractive female lobbyist (more about her here) has drawn a lot of criticism, especially from McCain himself. His campaign seized the moment to raise money for his campaign.
Campaign manager Rick Davis' fundraising letter read, "With John McCain leading a number of general-election polls against Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, The New York Times knew the time to attack was now, and they did. We will not allow their scurrilous attack against a great American hero to stand." Even Rush Limbaugh, no fan of John McCain, thought the article was 'lies."
The Times has been getting worked over for running the story as well, as some don't think the story even reported anything damning. Editor Bill Keller defended the piece, saying it was in the works for a while, "On the substance, we think the story speaks for itself. On the timing, our policy is, we publish stories when they are ready." However, The New Republic suggests the Times hit the publish button TNR was about to run its article about the McCain-lobbyist story, questioning its purpose and sourcing: "The new information it reveals focuses on the private matters of the candidate, and relies entirely on the anecdotal evidence of McCain's former staffers to justify the piece--both personal and anecdotal elements unusual in the Gray Lady."
The NY Times is answering readers' questions about the article in its Talk to the Newsroom section. But as a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College - and a former Repubilcan operative - John Pitney told Politico, “For conservatives, the New York Times is shorthand for everything they distrust."
