Pallin' around with terrorists: GOP style

I love David Letterman. He's a man who really knows how to hold a grudge.

When John Sidney McCain finally made good on his promise to appear on The Late Show, he probably thought all was forgiven. Heh heh. You don't cross Dave and get away with it.

To set up this clip (which may disappear at a moment's notice due to CBS's policies) you need to remember that G. Gordon Liddy was a convicted Watergate conspirator who planned to firebomb the Brookings Institute and suggested taking part in political assassinations of leftist activists and liberal columnists like Jack Anderson.

Not a very nice guy. He's probably what would be referred to as a "terrorist" in these modern times.



In case the video is deleted, here's The Raw Story's transcript of the exchange:

Thursday night on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman, the longtime latenight talk show host kneecapped GOP Presidential Candidate John McCain over his relationship to Watergate planner G. Gordon Liddy.

"You will also admit that we cannot really control who we interact with in our lives, a hundred percent," said Letterman, referencing McCain's ubiquitous attack against Barack Obama that ties him to a 60's political radical. "I mean, you have ... You have ..."

McCain interrupted. "Depends on how long we interact with them and how we interact with them."

Letterman tried to cut in several times, but he was cut off by the candidate.

"The point is ... The point, the point of this whole campaign, the economy, the economy ..." trailed McCain, counting with his left hand, but ceeding to Letterman on his third 'economy.'

"Did you not have a relationship with Gordon Liddy?" asked the host.

"Um, I've met him, uh, you know, I mean, um ..." began McCain.

"Didn't you attend a fundraiser at his house?" asked Letterman.

"That's," sputtered McCain, looking trapped. "That's, what ... Is ..."

"I object, your honor!" shouted Paul Shaffer, Letterman's band leader, only after several seconds of McCain looking like a deer in a car's headlights.

The host laughed as he stared straight into the CBS cameras, broadcasting live. Smiling, Letterman concluded: "We'll be right back."