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ABC's Gibson repeatedly prodded McCain to brand Obama "a flip-flopper" http://mediamatters.org/items/200807100005 On the July 9 edition of ABC's World News, anchor Charles Gibson introduced a portion of an interview he had with Sen. John McCain by stating, "John McCain has been hammering away at [Sen. Barack] Obama for his position on Iran, and he's also criticizing Obama for changing position on a number of other issues. And I asked him about that when we spoke this morning." The following are the only questions Gibson asked of McCain, which aired during the newscast: "I'm curious. There's been a lot of speculation in the press about whether your opponent may be shifting positions, in some areas, moving to the center -- a little more right than he was in the primaries. Do you see him shifting positions?" "You're not ready, yet, to call him a flip-flopper?" "You think so?" Gibson then concluded the interview with: "All right. Senator McCain, good to talk to you. Get all the best. ... Take care." At no point during the portion of the interview World News aired did Gibson ask McCain about the multiple instances in which McCain has "flip-floppe[d]" on immigration reform, taxes, and the religious right, among numerous other issues. From the July 9 edition of ABC's World News with Charles Gibson: GIBSON: Well, John McCain has been hammering away at Obama for his position on Iran, and he's also criticizing Obama for changing position on a number of other issues. And I asked him about that when we spoke this morning. [begin video clip] GIBSON: I'm curious. There's been a lot of speculation in the press about whether your opponent may be shifting positions, in some areas, moving to the center -- a little more right than he was in the primaries. Do you see him shifting positions? McCAIN: It appears so, although I have not been paying real close attention. But I would say on the issue of Iraq, I'm glad he's going for the first time in 900 days. I'm glad that he is, for the first time, asking for a sit-down briefing with General Petraeus, and I'll be very interested in what his position on Iraq is when he returns. GIBSON: You're not ready, yet, to call him a flip-flopper? McCAIN: Oh, it's obvious that what I say doesn't affect American public opinion nearly as much as what he says does. GIBSON: You think so? McCAIN: Well, the -- I mean, the fact is that he has changed his positions on FISA, on public financing, on his agreement that he said he'd go anytime, anyplace, to sit down -- to have a town hall meeting with me. We were before the same organization yesterday. We could have just stood there together and answered their questions. I think LULAC would have gotten a lot more out of it. He said that he would do that. He said that he would take public financing for the general election, if I did as well, and said that he agreed to it. But those things will be judged by the America people, but I won't hesitate to point them out. GIBSON: All right. Senator McCain, good to talk to you. Get all the best. McCAIN: Thank you, Charlie. GIBSON: Take care. Contact: ABC ABC News ABCNews 7 W. 66th St. New York, NY 10023

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