New York Times Censors McCain

By Pamela Mortimer

Shortly before presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama left for his trip to the Middle East, an op-ed piece appeared in the New York Times outlining the Senator’s plans for Afghanistan and Iraq. When Republican frontrunner John McCain submitted an op-ed to The Times, the legendary paper refused to print it.

The piece submitted by the Obama campaign outlined his strategies and also gave the readers a preview of upcoming speeches to be made before Obama left for the Middle East. McCain’s op-ed also discussed the war in Iraq but The Times told McCain’s staff that it would not print the piece because "it did not offer new information." The Times, did, however, suggest that the McCain camp revise and resubmit the piece for further review.

"I’d be very eager to publish the senator on the op-ed page. However, I’m not going to be able to accept this piece as currently written. I’d be pleased, though, to look at another draft. Let me suggest an approach," Times op-ed editor David Shipley wrote in an e-mail to the McCain camp.

"It would be terrific to have an article from Senator McCain that mirrors Senator Obama’s piece. To that end, the article would have to articulate, in concrete terms, how Senator McCain defines victory in Iraq. It would also have to lay out a clear plan for achieving victory — with troops levels, timetables and measures for compelling the Iraqis to cooperate. And it would need to describe the Senator’s Afghanistan strategy, spelling out how it meshes with his Iraq plan," Shipley wrote.

McCain campaign Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker said the two candidates "have very different world views" and wanted the opportunity to express the Republican’s point of view.

"We have elections in this country, not coronations and it’s unfortunate that The New York Times wouldn’t allow their readers to hear from John McCain and make their own judgment," said Hazelbaker.

"John McCain believes that victory in Iraq must be based on conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables. Unlike Barack Obama, that position will not change based on politics or the demands of the New York Times," stated McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds.

The New York Times released a statement outlining its policy for op-eds.

"It is standard procedure on our Op-Ed page, and that of other newspapers, to go back and forth with an author on his or her submission. We look forward to publishing Senator McCain’s views in our paper just as we have in the past. We have published at least seven op-ed pieces by Senator McCain since 1996. The New York Times endorsed Senator McCain as the Republican candidate in the presidential primaries. We take his views very seriously," said Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis.