McCain Campaign Plays Hardball With NBC News, Media

John McCain campaign criticizes NBC News for its 'apparent refusal' to air Joe Biden's comments that Barack Obama would face a crisis if elected

John McCain's campaign seems to be playing a little hardball with the media in the final two weeks of the presidential race.

The campaign on Tuesday issued a statement decrying NBC News for its "apparent refusal" to air Joe Biden's controversial remarks that Barack Obama would face a "generated crisis" early on if he is elected.

"Biden's remarks capture perfectly the message of this campaign: Barack Obama is too risky, too inexperienced, to serve as commander in chief -- that his election by itself will provoke our enemies, and that his brief record raises serious questions as to how an Obama administration would respond to such a challenge," McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb said in the written statement.

"This campaign highlighted Biden's remarks throughout the day yesterday," he continued. "Yet on NBC Nightly News last night, when Andrea Mitchell reported on Biden's remarks, she failed to play the relevant portion -- the portion that this campaign and a variety of news outlets had found controversial, or revealing as the case may be."

A representative from NBC News could not be reached for comment.

The Atlantic also posted an expletive-laced interview with McCain adviser Mark Salter on its Web site Monday in which Salter assailed the media for their treatment of the Republican ticket.

"I think, starting with the Democratic primary, there has been a different standard for Obama than there has been for any candidate running against Barack Obama. And maybe this should have set off more warning bells with me," he said. "I think much of the media has a thumb on the scale for Obama. I think the thumb has been there the entire time."

Salter added that "the press has been harsh consistently" on the McCain campaign.

The Politico also reported that Time columnist Joe Klein, who has been critical of the McCain campaign, has been unable to snag a seat on the McCain and Sarah Palin campaign planes for months.

"I've done nine presidential campaigns and this is the first time this has ever happened to me," Klein told Politico.

"My understanding is that his request came in too late," Palin spokesperson Tracey Schmitt said.

Fox News Reported