McCain has a new plane to replace the "legendary bus" but reporters have to be "good" to sit up front with McCain

Joe Sudbay (DC), AmericaBlog.com: In a report with the date-line "ABOARD THE STRAIGHT TALK EXPRESS" that reinforces just about every concern we have about the media's love affair with John McCain, the Washington Post's Juliet Eilperin gushes about McCain's new campaign plane:

Monday morning marked the inaugural flight of Sen. John
McCain's (R-Ariz.) new campaign plane, even though the presumptive GOP nominee wasn't on it. His wife Cindy and the traveling press corps tested out the airplane equivalent of the McCain's legendary bus, by hopping a short flight from Dulles to Harrisburg, Pa., where the senator had spent the night.

The Boeing 737-400, operated by Arizona-based Swift Air, represents a serious upgrade from the Jet Blue charters McCain has been using for several months. Specially configured for the candidate, it features a special area toward the front where McCain will conduct group interviews with the press, in the same way he does on his chartered bus. That section features a couch and two captain's chairs, along with an area where cameras can film him. McCain stopped conducting press interviews on his plane several weeks ago, with his aides saying he preferred a setting where he could sit down with reporters rather then while journalists thronged him in the aisle.

McCain senior aide Mark Salter quipped this morning that "only the good reporters" would get to sit in the specially-configured section for interviews. "You'll have to earn it," he said.

Now, that statement from Salter probably sent shivers down the spines of the political reporters. None of them can imagine not getting into that special section with McCain. What a horror. But, clearly, Salter was joking. The political reporters have already been good. They've earned a seat up front with McCain, but watch how they all just work harder to prove it.

The big question is who is bringing the Dunkin Donuts. From Eilperin's report, it sounds like AP's Liz Sidoti might have some competition for biggest kiss-ass on the McCain plane.