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I wanted to make sure you saw this email from David Brock about Free Ride: John McCain and the Media, a new book he co-authored with Paul Waldman.

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Dear friend,

You'd have to live under a rock not to notice all of the press attention being showered on the 2008 presidential candidates. Despite such wide-ranging coverage, one candidate seems to get a pass from the media at every turn.

>> Visit McCainsFreeRide.com to learn more, or buy the book now at Amazon.com.

I'm sure this is no surprise to you -- you've seen the fawning coverage John McCain receives. Year after year, the media have turned a blind eye to his volcanic temper, flip-flops, gaffes, inaccuracies, and naked political calculations -- issues that would typically whip them into a frenzy had another politician committed such acts.

Today, Free Ride: John McCain and the Media, a new book I've co-authored with Paul Waldman, goes on sale. Together, we document how the media have abandoned their post as honest arbiters in coverage of their friend, John McCain. Perhaps, MSNBC's Chris Matthews said it best when he observed, "The press loves McCain, we're his base."

We show how the media aided McCain's rebirth following the Keating Five savings-and-loan scandal, casting him as the "maverick," "straight-talking" hero of the 2000 primaries, then boosting his roller-coaster run for the 2008 Republican nomination.

>> Visit McCainsFreeRide.com to learn more, or buy the book now at Amazon.com.

For years, the media have painted a portrait of McCain that is more myth than reality.

When it comes to media scrutiny, Free Ride shows how very different the rules are for John McCain. Just look at the coverage last week after the Arizona senator falsely (and repeatedly) linked Iran and Al Qaeda in Iraq. The media fell all over themselves excusing and in some cases outright ignoring this serious foreign policy gaffe. NBC News political director Chuck Todd broke the mold when he pointed out that "had [Sen. Hillary] Clinton or [Sen. Barack] Obama done something like this, this would have been played on a loop, over and over, and would have absolutely hurt them politically."

>> Visit McCainsFreeRide.com to learn more, or buy the book now at Amazon.com.

In a political year that has been full of surprises, we know one thing is certain.  The media show no signs of breaking from their long-standing pattern of holding John McCain to a different standard than other politicians. Free Ride: John McCain and the Media will give you the information you need to see through the spin.

I hope you will take a moment to visit our new website, McCainsFreeRide.com and purchase our new book online at Amazon.com or at your local bookstore.

Sincerely,

David Brock