H/T to the commenters in Setrak's diary, especially Paul Anderson
Where there's smoke, there's a fire. And in politics, the smoke always comes in the form of lies.
I wasn't down with this "cone of silence" story at first. It all seemed so absurd. But the closer we look, the more clear it becomes that the entire premise was a falsehood from the very beginning. And that begs the question of why such a falsehood would in fact be necessary.
As is usually the case, the evidence of said lies comes straight from the source itself - in this case, the mouth of Rick Warren. Here he is at the beginning of the forum, making the first reference to "the cone":
Notice how the audience laughs. Even the people watching thought the whole thing was silly and it could almost be interpreted as Warren having made a joke. The levity continues when McCain is brought on stage:
Again, he makes light of the issue. McCain laughs. He too makes a joke.
So this is no big deal right? You'd almost be forgiven for thinking the whole thing was just a gimmick.
But then Andrea Mitchell made the passing comment that "Obama people" were upset that Mccain had been able to hear the questions. At first even this doesn't exactly seem to be playing into Democratic hands. In fact Mitchell seems also to be calling out the Obama campaign for whining and suggests they were worried about his performance.
So if I'm tracking this thing so far I see a gimmick that is referenced casually and dismissed as a joke. A reporter in equally offhand fashion dismisses the idea and also happens to suggest that one candidate was better prepared than the other. So far, no story.
But then Mccain lost it.
First Rick Davis fired off this letter to NBC. Then Mccain surrogates throw a temper tantrum at the mere suggestion that a former POW would be capable of anything less than absolute honor.
Seemed like an opportunity for pushback was at hand until Rick Warren talked to CNN, producing this revelation:
But at 8 p.m. ET (5 pm Pacific, which was the event's start time) , as Warren said that, McCain was actually not in the building. He was just leaving his hotel, with his motorcade arriving at the church nearly a half hour into the event. A. Larry Ross, a spokesman for Warren, says McCain then went directly into the holding room they dubbed the "cone of silence" (in reality, a room with no TV or audio).
Some questioned whether that late arrival might have allowed McCain to hear some of the questions being first posed to Obama.
Warren told CNN Sunday evening, "we flat out asked him" if he heard any of the questions. The McCain campaign "confirmed that McCain did not hear or see any of the broadcast" in the motorcade or after he arrived, Ross said.
So now the cone of silence has become literal. It's no longer a joke or a gimmick but something central to the premise. Something that can't and shouldn't be questioned.
And Warren doesn't help to make things any less confusing. Listen to him answer the question of whether or not he knew if Mccain was in the building:
For those of you who can't see, here is the transcript:
Host: "We flipped a coin." You said, "We have safely placed Senator McCain in a cone of silence." That's what you said?
Warren: Yeah
Host: Did you think at the time that he... at the time you said that... did you think he was in the cone of silence, that he was in the building?
Warren: Uh, actually yes I did. There was actually a question I got to Senator Obama in advance that I didn't get to Senator McCain because he wasn't there.
Now if you read that closely, Warren CLEARLY contradicts himself. He cites the fact that Mccain was unavailable as evidence that Mccain was in the controlled room which presumably his people were monitoring. This makes no sense at all. As a matter of fact, when Warren says "Yes I did" it seems like he's saying yes to question of whether he thought Mccain WASN'T in the building. Which would put him in big trouble because he'd already gone on TV and said that he was. What's more Charlie, lobbyist for dictators, Black confirms that Mccain was in motorcade until 5:30
Whatever Mccain's intentions here, Rick Warren just ruined them. He either knowingly lied when he asserted that Mccain was in the cone or the Mccain people violated the rules. Either way he is culpable. And if he did know that Mccain wasn't there, why did he go on TV and say that he was? That would suggest that Warren had some hmmm vested interest in making this seem like a fair contest. And to keep up the such appearances of neutrality despite knowledge to the otherwise? Well... I'll let you decide.
Mccain is a hard target here, as many have pointed out. It can't be proven that he viewed or listened to the broadcast. But Rick Warren is a sitting duck. And he doesn't appear to hold under pressure.
What. Did. He. Know?
When. Did. He. Know. It?