Matt Ortega

In the widely-panned speech in front of the “Green Monster” last Tuesday, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) commented on the media coverage with regards to Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York). McCain was asked about those comments by reporters on Friday and the senior senator from Arizona cut them off to claim he did not, in fact, say those words but that they were in prepared remarks.

Prepared remarks from Tuesday, 06/03/08:

I commend both Senators Obama and Clinton for the long, hard race they have run. Senator Obama has impressed many Americans with his eloquence and his spirited campaign. Senator Clinton has earned great respect for her tenacity and courage. The media often overlooked how compassionately she spoke to the concerns and dreams of millions of Americans, and she deserves a lot more appreciation than she sometimes received.

Response to reporters on Friday, 06/06/08:

Holly Bailey and Jon Meacham: Want to back up a little bit and talk about press coverage. One of the things that you mentioned in your speech in New Orleans was that you felt that the media hadn’t recognized or had overlooked some of the attributes that Hillary Clinton had brought to the race. And I wondered—

John McCain: I did not [say that]—that was in prepared remarks, and I did not [say it]—I’m not in the business of commenting on the press and their coverage or not coverage … My supporters and friends can comment all they want about the press coverage, and that’s their right. They’re American citizens. I will not because I believe it’s not a profitable enterprise for me to do so. I can’t change any of the coverage that I know of except to just campaign as hard as I can and try to seek the approval of the majority of my fellow citizens.

What actually happened on Tuesday (listen in at about 45 seconds):