While interviewing Arizona Senator John McCain on Sunday's Meet the Press, host David Gregory took a line from the Democratic script as he wondered: "Are you concerned at all to see a focus with certain elements of the Republican Party on social issues?...Do you think that there is something of a war on women among Republicans?" [Listen to the audio [1]]
For his part, McCain accepted Gregory's premise and made no effort to
push back against the liberal spin: "I think we have to fix that. I
think that there is a perception out there because of the way that this
whole contraception issue played out. We need to get off of that issue
in my view. I think we ought to respect the right of women to make
choices in their lives and make that clear and get back on to what the
American people really care about: jobs and the economy."
At least Gregory used the "war on women" phrase in the form of a question. On March 13 [2], an MSNBC graphic stated it as if it were a fact.
Here is a transcript of Gregory's March 18 exchange with McCain:
10:37AM
(...)
DAVID
GREGORY: Are you, are you concerned at all to see a focus with certain
elements of the Republican Party on social issues? In your own state of
Arizona there's this contraception bill that even the Governor has said
would put women in an uncomfortable position where they'd have to say to
their employers why they wanted contraception and how – why it should
be covered. Is that a bad road?
JOHN MCCAIN: I am – I am confident that that legislation will not reach the Governor's desk. And if it did it would be vetoed.
GREGORY: It's the wrong legislation.
MCCAIN: Well, I mean, look, it certainly doesn't reflect, in my view, the majority view of the people of Arizona.
GREGORY: Do you think that there is something of a war on women among Republicans?
MCCAIN: I think we have to fix that. I think that there is a perception
out there because of the way that this whole contraception issue played
out. We need to get off of that issue in my view. I think we ought to
respect the right of women to make choices in their lives and make that
clear and get back on to what the American people really care about:
jobs and the economy. Jobs and the economy and something that we're
going to be talking about here pretty quick and that is obviously this
long involvement and long and difficult struggle in Afghanistan.
(...)
-- Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. Click here [3] to follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter.