Grahamgate Deepens

One of the standard rules of thumb in contemporary American politics is "When you fall in a hole, don't try to dig your way out."  Evidently John Sith McCain is not familiar with that rule, as his backhanding of the Reverend Billy Graham has his campaign shoveling like there's no tomorrow:

The McCain camp responded by calling the Newsmax report "bogus," "totally not true" and "false." The campaign indicated it was already in contact with Graham's son Franklin to set up a meeting with his father.

A spokesman for McCain told CBN News, "The piece in Newsmax is false. Our campaign has been working directly with Reverend Franklin Graham's office to facilitate an important meeting between John McCain and Reverend Billy Graham."

But in statements released by Billy and Franklin Graham (See: "Billy Graham: No Contact with McCain Campaign"), both directly contradicted the McCain campaigns claims. Both Grahams indicated they had no discussion with the McCain campaign about a meeting with the elder Graham.

Wouldn't you think that the simple path would have been to take up Brian Jacobs on his offer to broker at least a token PR confab?  Or, better yet, to have approached either Graham's office directly?  And quickly, before Barack Hussein Obama can get to him first?  If the jettisoning of John Hagee and Rod Parsely (and the rebuff of Dr. James Dobson) is generating an evangelical anti-McCain backlash reminiscent of 2000, wouldn't moving quickly to link up with the most influential, respected clergyman of our time possibly have pre-empted the damage?

But at the very, VERY least, is it too much to expect Team Sith to refrain from issuing blanket denials with unsubstantiated claims that make their candidate look even more cowardly and despicable than he does already?

Oh, I've no doubt that a Queeg-Graham meeting will take place eventually.  But it won't be the same, and depending on the timing, may make it look like McCain is aping Obama.  And even more to the point, will remind the demographic he desperately needs of how he declined an earlier meeting (to "strike while the iron was hot") and then lied about it to try and cover it up.

If I were Darth Scudder, I'd keep my pager and cell phone well charged.  At the rate Maverick is burying himself, he'll be dialing up Governor Biscuits & Gravy any day now.