After a David Letterman joke about how the Republican ticket doesn’t kiss, " just like Bill and Hillary," Maggie Rodriguez implausibly insisted: "Everyone, even Dave is talking about how the way John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin greet each other." Putting gossip ahead of reporting, CBS featured Sally Quinn of the Washington Post suggesting the hugs might be "too enthusiastic" and unspooling her imagination that it’s enraging Cindy McCain: "I think there was some pillow talk and I think that Cindy McCain said, um, I'm number one here."
At the start of the 7:30 half hour on Wednesday, CBS started with its own late-night star:
DAVID LETTERMAN: You know, when Sarah Palin and John McCain make an appearance together, there's always a brief hug, always a brief hug, just kind of a brief hug --no kissing. Whenever you see them like on stage some place, or getting off or on a plane, or whatever on tv, brief hug, no kissing, brief hug, no kissing. It's just like Bill and Hillary.
MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ: Everyone, even Dave is talking about how the way John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin greet each other. If we think back to the last time there was a mixed sex ticket, it was Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro, they never even touched in any public way. But times are a-changing, and we're going to talk an expert on etiquette about what it means.
Leading into the first break, Rodriguez plugged the story again: "Still ahead, hugs, kisses, or handshakes? How McCain and Palin have changed the way running mates greet each other." The graphic on screen was "Awkward Moment Alert." At 7:41, the story unfolded, repeating the "Awkward Moment Alert" graphic:
RODRIGUEZ: John McCain and Sarah Palin have been campaigning across the country. And it's not just their words people are paying attention to, it's their body language, especially since these running mates are greeting each other the way no two ever have before. CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano reports.
SOLORZANO: In 1984 when Walter Mondale ran for president with Geraldine Ferraro, this is as close as they got. [Video of them standing side by side at the convention.] But when John McCain appeared at the convention with Sarah Palin,she got a hug. Etiquette experts say it was a gesture made for TV.
JODI R. R. SMITH, MANNERSMITH ETIQUETTE CONSULTING: What was McCain was communicating to his body language to all of america was that he embraced Sarah Palin.
BIANCA SOLARZANO: Could a hug get a politician in hot water?
SOLORZANO: Some have wondered if cindy mccain is uncomfortable, not only with the hugs, but with her husband introducing Palin before her, as he did with this rally.
McCAIN: Sarah Palin. She’s magnificent!
SOLORZANO: That hasn't happened again.
QUINN: I think she and the people around her said something to him that he looked as though he were putting Sarah Palin first, and that might not play well to other women.
SOLORZANO: Now for every hug he gives his running mate, there's a kiss for his wife.
QUINN: I think there was some pillow talk and I think that Cindy McCain said, um, I'm number one here.
CBS featured no reaction from the McCain campaign or any pundits backing the GOP ticket. They tried to add a little balance at the very end:
SOLORZANO: Displays of affection in politics can easily go too far. We all remember this over-the-top kiss. And this year's Democrats haven't been without their awkward moments. This half hug between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Or Obama's kiss on the mouth with Jill Biden. So, while the handshake hasn't gone out of style, it seems politics have become more touchy-feely, and everyone is feeling the love. For The Early Show, Bianca Solorzano, CBS News, New York.
The story ended with old footage of President Bush holding hands with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Rodriguez then said: "Were they holding hands? They were holding hands. If you have any doubt, yes, in politics, everything is analyzed."
At least everything is analyzed when you’re on the Republican ticket. CBS also featured Sally Quinn a week ago, when she was insisting Gov. Palin was a bad mother who couldn’t be a mom and be vice president and should "rethink her priorities" and drop out to take care of her family.
It’s likely CBS was Xeroxing a story from The New York Times on Tuesday by reporter Elisabeth Bumiller. At least the Times ran a rebuttal from the McCain campaign, and more carefully suggested Mondale and Ferraro "almost never touched." Bumiller also contradicted Quinn’s imagination by reporting that McCain seemed to adjust how quickly he introduced his wife between speeches on the same day on the trail, instead of during hypothetical "pillow talk."
