Journalists and John McCain: Is The Honeymoon Really Over?

McCain has made his share of missteps, most notably earlier this month, when he declared that some Baghdad neighborhoods were safe enough for Westerners to walk around unarmed. His stroll through a Baghdad market, guarded by 100 soldiers and several helicopters, drew ridicule.

After a week of being pummeled over his remarks -- CBS's Allen Pizzey said McCain was talking "utter rubbish," and CNN's Michael Ware suggested he was in "Neverland" -- the senator acknowledged on "60 Minutes" that he had overstated the case.

During the Baghdad visit, McCain also said that Americans are not getting "the full picture" in Iraq because "what we don't read about every day . . . is a lot of good news" about progress there.

"McCain may have turned on the press before the press turned on McCain, echoing this very stale line that negative reporting out of Iraq was because there is a media filter," Alter says. "It struck me as ironic that he engaged in garden-variety GOP press-bashing."

Many conservative commentators remain wary of McCain, especially on such hot-button issues as immigration and his signature campaign-finance reform. But some have started to warm to the senator as he continues to champion Bush's war.

In the right-leaning punditocracy, it is an article of faith that the skeptical mainstream coverage is rooted in ideology. National Review says "the press has been savage" toward McCain and has "dumped" him for "irreconcilable differences." The Wall Street Journal editorial page points out "the chasm that distinguishes Mr. McCain from the Beltway media that used to adore him." The headline on a Barnes piece says that "hell hath no fury" like jilted journalists.

The stories on traditional rallies in New Hampshire may be less important than McCain's appearance Tuesday night on "The Daily Show," a popular venue for politicians trying to connect with younger voters. Even there, however, he wound up in a testy, extended exchange over the war with host Jon Stewart, rather than trading punch lines.

While campaign reporters haven't cut McCain many breaks, there may be a silver lining. "Having the press be mad at you will probably help with Republicans," Barnes says. "They assume if the press is attacking you, you must be doing something right."