The Timebomb Who Would Be President

[hnumpah]

McCain's excuse was that it had been a long day.

Why would he need an excuse, if the incident did not happen?

[fatman]

Maybe that's a quote from the "unnamed sources"?  (I don't know)

[BT]

Why would he need an excuse, if the incident did not happen?

How do we know he offered up the excuse? Because Schecter says so?

Feel free to believe the hearsay, but Mikey touting it as gospel is a bit much.

[Michael Tee]

<<What we have then is rumor and innuendo.>>

No, what you have are some unproven stories by men whose word we have no sound reason to doubt and a deafening silence from the only people who - - if the reports are false - - would be the only people able to rebut the source.  That adds up to a story that maybe I wouldn't bet my life on, but nevertheless remains much more likely to be true than false.

<<Your guys aren't altruistic.They are paid mercenaries. And their mission is not to report the truth it is to profit from their innuendos.>>

Every single reporter, every single journalist, is a mercenary.  None of them work for nothing.  They all want their stuff to sell, to be read, it increases their value as journalists and writers.

<<This is nothing more than the tease on the 11 o'clock news. >>

Oh, it's a lot more than that.  It's a plausible story, consistent with what we know about a man who's a proven liar, perjurer and cheat, by different people with no prior record of fabricating evidence or making up stories.

[BT]

Every single reporter, every single journalist, is a mercenary.

Schecter and counterpunch both use their stories to hawk books or newsletters.

What they are doing is no different than selling those xray glasses on the back of comic books.

Plausible, perhaps. True, well that is a whole different issue.

[Michael Tee]

<<Schecter and counterpunch both use their stories to hawk books or newsletters.>>

So what?   They're not hawking fiction.  If word gets out that it's all fake, their reputations are shot and their chances of selling stuff in the future becomes minimal.  They could lose their reputations for honesty.

[Amianthus]

So what? They're not hawking fiction. If word gets out that it's all fake, their reputations are shot and their chances of selling stuff in the future becomes minimal. They could lose their reputations for honesty.

Not when you have the likes of Nan A. Talese at Doubleday telling people that "non-fiction" does not mean that it's true. (See the James Frey / A Million Little Pieces fiasco).

[Michael Tee]

<<Not when you have the likes of Nan A. Talese at Doubleday telling people that "non-fiction" does not mean that it's true. >>

How trite can you get?  Who didn't already know that?

<<(See the James Frey / A Million Little Pieces fiasco).>>

One guy makes up stuff for a supposedly "non-fiction" book, therefore all non-fiction books are just packs of lies?)

[BT]

So what?   They're not hawking fiction.  If word gets out that it's all fake, their reputations are shot and their chances of selling stuff in the future becomes minimal.  They could lose their reputations for honesty.

That presumes they have a reputation for honesty. And it also assumes that there are other book deals in the works.

Look it isn't like Schecter is a well known author. Remember he was hired by the third largest contributor to "progressive" causes to write the book in the first place.

[Amianthus]

One guy makes up stuff for a supposedly "non-fiction" book, therefore all non-fiction books are just packs of lies?)

There is more than one example.

[hnumpah]

Maybe that's a quote from the "unnamed sources"?

Could be; the article doesn't really make it clear.

McCain does have a reputation as a hothead, and is known to have used similar language in the past. Those incidents are well documented. I think it's entirely possible he did make the comment about Cindy, though I don't think most people would consider it a huge deal. I will say that, in over twenty years of marriage, I've never used language like that about my wife, nor ever raised a hand (or my voice) to her, and we've had some pretty rough patches. If he did beat her, that would be a different story, but unless some proof comes out about that, it's a non-starter.

Also well documented is his treatment of his first wife, Carol. See http://www.snopes.com/politics/mccain/carol.asp for more information.

[Michael Tee]

<<That presumes they have a reputation for honesty.>>

Nope.  It presumes they DON'T have a reputation for dishonesty.

<< And it also assumes that there are other book deals in the works.>>

Ha.  We have a published writer in the family.  I personally proof-read the MS before they went to her editor.  Let me tell you, every writer is always looking ahead to his or her next book deal.  None of them intends to be a one-hit wonder.

<<Look it isn't like Schecter is a well known author. Remember he was hired by the third largest contributor to "progressive" causes to write the book in the first place.>>

Let me suggest a little experiment to you.  Place a two-line classified ad in the biggest regional newspaper in your end of the state, "Writers wanted for new publication, no experience necessary, mail resume and samples to P.O. Box 9999, Athens, Ga."   Along with the (literally) hundreds of unpublished wannabes, you will get dozens of applications from published writers, some of them undoubtedly recognized by you.

My point being, NOBODY with good money to spend on a writer has any need to settle for some unpublished, untalented schmuck because good writers, published writers, are a dime a dozen.  If Schechter was hired to write a book, you can bet your ass he was a writer of some ability, not necessarily a James Joyce or a Dostoyevsky, but somebody who knows how to write and how to turn in a product on deadline, has proven this in the past, and is not looking to publish his last work at this point in time.

[Michael Tee]

<<There is more than one example.>>

No shit, Sherlock.

89 Examples?  Out of how many MILLIONS of books? At least one example in your list, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, dates back to 1903 and first appeared in Russia, so you are looking at 89 hoaxes published all over the world since 1903. 

Keeping in mind that the Library of Congress catalogues about 300,000 titles a year, what are the odds that Schechter's book is a hoax?

[Amianthus]

My point being, NOBODY with good money to spend on a writer has any need to settle for some unpublished, untalented schmuck because good writers, published writers, are a dime a dozen.  If Schechter was hired to write a book, you can bet your ass he was a writer of some ability, not necessarily a James Joyce or a Dostoyevsky, but somebody who knows how to write and how to turn in a product on deadline, has proven this in the past, and is not looking to publish his last work at this point in time.

Please provide a list of previous works by Schecter. It's my understanding that his previous works are all blog type posts (mostly hit pieces on Republicans). I would like to know what previous articles / books he's written.

[Amianthus]

Keeping in mind that the Library of Congress catalogues about 300,000 titles a year, what are the odds that Schechter's book is a hoax?

How many of those 300,000 are books claiming to be fact, and not compilations of data (dictionaries, encyclopedia, research reports, etc)?