In a previous post, I talked about John McCain’s relationship with G. Gordon Liddy. John McCain made Barack Obama’s barely there relationship with William Ayers the center of his campaign for weeks. Throwing out how Ayers had a meet and greet at his house for Obama. Well, G. Gordon Liddy had a fundraiser for John McCain and spoke at a McCain campaign event in 2000. Throwing out how Ayers donated $250 to Obama’s Illinois Senate Campaign (but nothing to his U.S. Senate or Presidential Campaigns). (Check the donations for yourself.) Well, G. Gordon Liddy has donated $5,000 to McCain including $1,000 in 2008. Throwing out how Ayers said that he wished they (the Weather Underground) had done more to protest the Vietnam War. Well, Liddy “has said he has no regrets about what he did, insisting that he went to jail as ‘a prisoner of war.’” Throwing out how Obama and Ayers were on these educational boards together over 10 years ago. Well, Liddy and McCain have maintained a close friendship over the years and McCain has appeared on Liddy’s radio show multiple times including an appearance as recent as May 2008. John McCain even said himself on David Letterman on October 16, 2008 that he was “not in any way embarrassed to know Gordon Liddy.”
I have gone through all of this because on the October 21st broadcast of The Radio Factor with Bill O’Reilly somehow a caller who does not agree with O’Reilly was able to get through on the phone. Here is the transcript:
O’REILLY: Now Jay in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania’s been hangin’ on. He wants to talk about McCain and G. Gordon Liddy? Is that what you want to talk about? I don’t know anything about G. Gordon Liddy, Jay.
CALLER: Yes it is, Bill. Hey, first of all, I just want to preface this by saying I — if the election were today, I’d vote for Obama, but it’s not written in stone. But I agree with you completely. All these Ayers questions are completely valid and –
O’REILLY: Right.
CALLER: — you know, everyone should pay attention to it. But to stress that I haven’t heard — I heard David Letterman ask John McCain about this G. Gordon Liddy stuff. I mean, Liddy donated –
O’REILLY: What is the G. Gordon Liddy stuff?
CALLER: Well, the fact that he, on his radio show, explained to his listeners how to shoot Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents. The fact that he –
O’REILLY: Yeah, but I mean, what does McCain have to do with that?
CALLER: Well, he accepted money from him. G. Gordon Liddy –
O’REILLY: Now, wait a minute. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
CALLER: — held a fundraiser. He donated thousands –
O’REILLY: So Liddy made a donation to the McCain campaign? Is that what you’re saying?
CALLER: Yes.
O’REILLY: Well, how would John McCain know that?
CALLER: Well, I would assume that he was told.
O’REILLY: How would he know that? I mean, Liddy’s an American. He writes his check. He sends it to McCain — the McCain campaign. I mean, how would McCain know he did that?
CALLER: OK. Gordon Liddy also held a fundraiser for him in 1998. So he knows –
O’REILLY: OK. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. That’s 20 years ago. Whoa, whoa, whoa. It’s 20 years ago.
CALLER: It’s 10.
O’REILLY: Look, this is a — look. This is a fabricated, nonsensical, far-left, kooky, stupid — what other adjective can I throw in? All right. McCain has nothing to do with G. Gordon Liddy — nothing. You know? And I mean, if you want to make a comparison between Bill Ayers, who has consistently over the years interacted face-to-face with John McCain — with Barack Obama, I should say — if you want to make a comparison to Liddy sendin’ the guy some money and holdin’ a fundraiser 20 years ago, I mean, come on. It’s ridiculous.
That is, of course, when O’Reilly hung up on Jay in Bellafonte, PA because he was questioning why they talk about this “fabricated, nonsensical, far-left, kooky, stupid” stuff, but they don’t hold John McCain to the same standard. O’Reilly is trying to make the argument that McCain’s relationship with Liddy is basically non-existent even though there have been way more interactions between Liddy and McCain than there have been between Ayers and Obama. Senator John McCain himself calls G. Gordon Liddy his friend!
In John McCain’s appearance on Letterman, he also said that he has been open about all of his relationships. What about the U.S. Council for World Freedom Senator McCain??
