Yes, that’s the Politico’s Jonathan Martin cozying up to Meghan McCain. The daughter of John McCain recently posted the picture on her blog.

Meghan also recently shared a tale about Martin cooking ribs with her dad and bringing her mom, Cindy, flowers when he visited the family’s Arizona ranch.

Is this journalism or a courtship?

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The thought process seems a tad counterintuitive:

Journalists, for instance, have become partners with the Clinton campaign in pretending that the contest is closer than it really is. Most coverage breathlessly portrays the race as a down-to-the-wire sprint between two well-matched candidates, one only slightly better situated than the other to win in August at the national convention in Denver.

[snip]

One important, if subliminal, reason is self-interest. Reporters and editors love a close race — it’s more fun and it’s good for business.

The media are also enamored of the almost mystical ability of the Clintons to work their way out of tight jams, as they have done for 16 years at the national level. That explains why some reporters are inclined to believe the Clinton campaign when it talks about how she’s going to win on the third ballot at the Democratic National Convention in August.

That’s certainly possible — and, to be clear, we’d love to see the race last that long — but it’s folly to write about this as if it is likely.

What do you think?

P.S. Matt Drudge is already linking to the Politico’s story.

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Sen. John McCain’s daughter, Meghan, has posted the following video on her blog, in which she says that Politico reporters brought her mom, Cindy, a bouquet of flowers when they visited the McCain Sedona ranch and cabin this past weekend for a big Spring Break-style party.

Journalists giving presents to their interview subjects is generally frowned upon.

Newsweek’s Holly Bailey is also shown in the video with a wine glass in hand, swinging playfully on a tire swing on the McCain estate. Megan says, too, that Politico’s Jonathan Martin helped her dad barbecue some of his “famous ribs” during the soiree.

“This is much better than Washington, D.C.,” Cindy McCain is heard saying in the video.

Yeah, we bet. But, jeez, haven’t average non-elite Americans been complaining for ages that the glitzy D.C. press has gotten much too close to the politicos they cover? This Sedona Spring Break romp will do little to ease their fears.

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“Tonight from 7-7:30 p.m. EST, Hillary will appear live on TV on ABC7 and News Channel 8 in the Washington, DC metropolitan area,” according to a news release from the Clinton camp. “Voters nationwide can see Hillary live on Politico.com. The appearance was initially intended to be a debate sponsored by The Politico and ABC7, but Sen. Obama refused to debate Hillary.”

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“We had literally just gotten our drinks of white Chimay!” Politico reporter Helena Andrews tells the City Paper regarding her recent night out inside a smoldering (literally) D.C. bar.

“They were humongous. We were downing our glasses. They were trying to kick us out, but we had just gotten our drinks, and we were going to finish them. And we did.”

It’s unknown just how many drinks Andrews had had up to that point.

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