vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen

7.22.2006

Clouded out

Vermonters who had hoped to see U.S. Sen. John McCain - the Arizona Republican who would have easily won the party's 2000 presidential nomination if Vermont had been the only state voting - came away McCainless on Saturday.

After several spins around the Rutland State Airport, McCain's plane gave up and motored off. The cloud cover was just too low. Albert Knotte, who runs Columbia Air Service at the airport and was on the ground trying to greet McCain's plane, said visibility was too poor. From the ground, he barely caught a glimpse of the plane through the clouds.

Ironically, it was the decision to hold the event in Rutland that likely cost the visit. Congressional candidate Martha Rainville, for whom McCain was coming to campaign, wanted to have it in a more central location than Chittenden County. McCain, however, likely could have landed at the larger Burlington airport.

McCain might be back, though, before this campaign is done.

- Terri Hallenbeck

posted by vt.Buzz | 7:49 PM |

Comments:

After Rainville was criticized by the Free Press and various Dems for supposedly not providing her views on substantive issues, I was extremely disappointed in the Free Press's article on Saturday's event. Rainville spent 45 minutes answering unfiltered questions from the audience running the gamut of domestic and foreign policy issues. She gave articulate, responsive answers, and didn't avoid answering a single question.

So, one would think that the Free Press would take the oppoirtunity to let its readers know that Rainville is ready, willing and able to answer substantive questions. Instead, your paper reported on other things of little or no substance. Please don't complain in the future about Rainville's alleged lack of substance when your paper completely dropped the ball on this one, and has utterly failed to inform its readers of her views. Who lacks substance -- Martha Rainville or the Burlington Free Press?

# Posted by:

BarreBoy | 9:41 AM, July 24, 2006

For example, if you consider being confronted on life issues by conservative clergy to be softball questions, then sure. Or to be tested on the issue of renewable energy -- not an issue typically on the forefront of activist Republicans' minds. You have also complained about Rainville's lack of information regarding Iraq and the Middle East ... she spent a great deal of time on the substance of that issue.

And I'm quite sure that Welch seeks out opponents at all of his events -- yes, when he was hanging off the back of thate railroad car, he was getting grilled by folks with opposing viewpoints. Not.

Sorry, one vermonter, but the complaint doesn't fly anymore. Welch will need to come up with a new cross-examination strategy because the jury isn't going to buy this one.

# Posted by:

BarreBoy | 1:38 PM, July 24, 2006