I'm surprised the Weekly Standard hasn't come out and endorsed McCain yet. It's quite obvious that the Fox "all stars" Fred Barnes and Bill Kristol are in the tank for him.
Posted on 01/13/2008 3:04:20 PM PST by ejdrapes
As I noted here, credible rumors are circulating -- having started with reporters who were approached about the story -- that Mike Murphy, who blogs at the Weekly Standard as Richelieu, pushed out the "Thompson to endorse McCain" rumor in Iowa.
This all tracks with a report by Jed Babbin on the Politico hit job notes
All evidence points to the Politico story being the result of a dirty trick. As Bob Novak reports today the rumors of Thompson’s supposed plan to drop out after Iowa were apparently being pushed by Mitt Romney’s campaign. One political consultant who appears on the news as unaffiliated with any campaign was apparently at the center of the trick. His involvement is something we are investigating.
Several reporters at other organizations also got the tip, but figured it for a hit job and did not run it.
This all kind of fleshes together with Murphy, who has worked for both McCain and Romney, but whose blogging has been decidedly pro-McCain at the Standard. Amazing that no media organizations have really gone after this. This story actually wound up hurting, I think, Romney in addition to Thompson. Romney has a connection to Murphy. The morning of the report, I and others immediately made the McCain connection, but by the afternoon, reporters and people close to Thompson were pushing the Romney angle -- all suspecting Murphy. But, given Murphy's blogging lately, it seems he is in this for McCain.
I'm surprised the Weekly Standard hasn't come out and endorsed McCain yet. It's quite obvious that the Fox "all stars" Fred Barnes and Bill Kristol are in the tank for him.
I don’t believe a word of it. Politico is just trying to deflect, in light of the recent downturn in clicks, length of visits, and pulled advertisers.
Too bad, so sad, I’m glad!
More than anything that bunch is in the tank for amnesty. I quit watch fox last week, so I don't what kind of liberal BS they are pushing now.
Wow, politico has lied about every candidate so far.
The weekly standard is a rino magazine and anyone who is a conservative and subscribes to that rag is wasting their money.Barnes and crystal are part of the enemy within.
Murphy is a McCainiac.
See, now this is becoming clear. The “Fred Thompson will drop out if he does bad in Iowa” was from republicans close to his own campaign, who were trying to make a name for themselves — and was a prediction, not a “report” or a “leak”.
When Novak said that the story “in part” came from Romney, he was no doubt refering not to the “Thompson drop out” part, but the “Thompson endorse McCain” part. Hardly the damaging part.
And now there is some suggestion that the “romney” connection was not his campaign at all, or even really a romney connection, but a blogger who is more closely associated with McCain.
If we expect campaigns to control bloggers, we are in for a surprise.
Mike Murphy has always been a creep. I hope he and Romney never have any dealings with each other.
Bill Kristol’s son works for the Thompson campaign, and he defended Fred Thompson recently against some nasty remarks by Fred Barnes about Fred.
I’m not sure, but someone recently posted a photo of Thompson and McCain during McCain’s 2000 race for president, and they were in a hotel room with McCain sitting up on the bed, Fred standing nearby, and a third person sprawled on the bed as well. I think that person was Mike Murphy.
OK, this seals it for what I’ve been thinking...
The Neo-cons are out to destroy the Reagan coalition and solidify their stranglehold on the party.
They have driven Tancredo, practically driven out Hunter, and now they’re going after Fred Thompson full tilt...
Another lie about Romney is exposed. Maybe now we will see a flood of apologies from the Romney-hater Thompson supporters.
Another thought....I remember at the time there was some talk of Thompson possibly taking second.
I believe that talk was a result of Huckabees “bizarre” comments on the Bhutto assassination. Mary Matalin made a comment the day before that Huckabee was not “imploding” but did not help himself.
However if Romney’s internal polling indicatied them falling behind Huckabee, they would assume they were the target of getting bumped to third...
And there’s no hiding Fred Barnes venom when talking about Thompson.
I support Fred- but don’t hate Mitt. I didn’t think the rumor came from Mitt’s camp..or even McCain’s.
I read somewhere, cannot source because I cannot remember where, that Fred 's internals had him at 18+% the day before the caucus. I believe it because of the confidence showed going into the caucus. There was no lowering expectations.
Regardless, that rumor hurt.
Only a desperate, RINO, myth romney supporter would come to that conclusion.
I came to no conclusion. The story claims Murphy was involved in spreading the “support” rumor, Novak specifically said there was only a connection to Romney “in part”, and the politico story clearly identified the people who predicted Fred’s withdraw as being close to the Thompson camp, not Romney’s.
For all I know, those to also spread the McCain rumor. I’m only noting that the Murphy connection could explain Novak’s “in part” claim.
FWIW I think it's Kristol's daughter that works for Fred.
FYI, Murphey has worked for Romney. And McCain.
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