Mac & Gordon Dipshiddy: perfect together

I'm not normally inclined to watch Letterman, Leno or any of the other late night talk shows, but just as I was going to bed the other night, I caught the tail end of McCain's appearance on Letterman, where he went on to kiss and make up with Dave for canceling last minute a few weeks ago.

It was a pretty predictable appearance, but toward the end of the interview, no matter how hard McCain tried to keep the interview light and superficial, Letterman kept up with the probing questions. Finally, toward the end of the interview, Letterman asked him about his relationship with Gordon Liddy. Watch the end of the video above for McCain's hemming and hawing about him.

[Fade to commercial]

When the show returns from commercial, after McCain had time to think about his response about Liddy further, McCain defiantly (stupidly?) said that he was "proud of his association with Gordon Liddy."

More from Media Matters:

And in an August 22 blog post about an anti-Obama ad highlighting Obama's association with Ayers, (Chicago Tribune reporter Steve) Chapman wrote:

But conservatives may not want to draw attention to the issue of ties to violent radicals -- since John McCain is longtime pals with convicted Watergate burglar Gordon Liddy, who once plotted a journalist's murder (which was never carried out) and has advocated the shooting of federal law enforcement agents.

More from Crooks & Liars:

Liddy has donated $5,000 to McCain's campaigns since 1998, including $1,000 in February 2008. In addition, McCain has appeared on Liddy's radio show during the presidential campaign, including as recently as May. An online video labeled "John McCain On The G. Gordon Liddy Show 11/8/07" includes a discussion between Liddy and McCain, whom Liddy described as an "old friend." During the segment, McCain praised Liddy's "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great," said he was "proud" of Liddy, and said that "it's always a pleasure for me to come on your program."

Additionally, in 1998, Liddy reportedly held a fundraiser at his home for McCain. Liddy was reportedly scheduled to speak at another fundraiser for McCain in 2000. The Charlotte Observer reported on January 23, 2000, that McCain's campaign vouched for Liddy's "character."

Oops!! One would think that before McCain got all sanctimonious over Ayers, he would have looked in the mirror and taken stock in his relationship with Gordon Liddy, and for that matter, his running mate's association with the Alaska Secessionist Movement.

Don't get me wrong - I'm beyond sick of all these guilt by association stories in the media, but the only reason I'm mentioning it is undoubtedly the same reason Letterman did the other night - McCain's past isn't nearly as clean as the mainstream media would have you believe. Of course, on Friday, when the corporate media reported on McCain's Letterman appearance, there was no mention of Liddy, anywhere.

As I wrote last week before the final debate, it's not a stretch to say that Liddy was a domestic terrorist under the Nixon administration. And if Liddy would have been turned loose to do everything he wanted to do under Nixon, he would have been much worse. Some of his ideas included firebombing the Brookings Institution (a left-wing think tank) using Cubans as firemen, kidnapping anti-war protesters during the 1972 Republican National Convention, and luring Democratic Party leaders to a houseboat to take pictures of them in compromising positions with hookers. Oh yea, and there was something called Watergate, too.

It's pretty safe to say that just about any national politician running for the presidency has had a few questionable associations in the past, to secure campaign contributions or a host of other reasons, and that these associations doesn't exactly paint a flattering picture. This is just another example of how McCain has run a dishonorable and dishonest campaign.

Anyway, I was only half paying attention to McCain and Letterman right before I fell asleep, but when I heard Letterman mention Liddy, I almost jumped out of my chair, because no one else in the media has had the temerity to question the Maverick about some of his past associations.

I have much more to say about Bill Ayers, but that's a separate post.