McCain raises money off Obama’s trip

John McCain, resigned to what an adviser memorably called “table scraps” of news coverage this week, has blasted a fundraising e-mail to supporters arguing that the press has “a bizarre fascination with Barack Obama.”

The e-mail has the blunt subject line: “The media is in love.”


Grammatically, it would be “the media ARE in love,” but his point is clear that news organizations are overdoing it in their expensive, extensive coverage of Obama's weeklong swing through the Middle East and Europe.

The message to the “McCain Team” from the “McCain Campaign” reads:

“It's pretty obvious that the media has a bizarre fascination with Barack Obama. Some may even say it's a love affair. We want you to be the judge. We've compiled two videos of the more outrageous moments of this not so secret love affair. Follow this link to watch the two videos and vote on which one you think is better. Your vote will determine which video we put on the air. The media is in love with Barack Obama. If it wasn't so serious, it would be funny.”

The link leads to a page with a Valentine’s color scheme, emblazoned with red hearts and saying, “The media is in LOVE with Barack,” and invites visitors to vote for clips of two montages from cable news shows, accompanied by the line “Love Is in the Air.”

The e-mail has buttons to “Join Our Team,” “Send to Friends” and “Contribute.”