We’ve heard nothing but the ‘Tough As Nails’ line from the McCain campaign for months. Not only did he stand up to the North Vietnamese chainsaw tortures that cut him into 3 inch pieces, but he personally dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and strangled Gorbachev to destroy the Soviet Union. Barefoot, and armed only with a toothpick.

And now, it’s whinewhinewhinewhinewhine because us meany bloggers are pointing out discrepancies in The Official Story about the Blessed Virgin Moosedresser. The mainstream media has responded by asking Team McCain to clarify, to settle the discrepancies or explain the information that has come forth mostly from Alaska residents.

And now they’ve hurt Team McCain’s feelings and made them cry.

I understand. After all, they’re not used to journalists asking serious questions. It’s weally scawy being confronted with the truth that they thought they’d buried. And since they don’t have answers to cover all that nasty stuff back up with, the strategy is to attack the press and blame all the truth coming out on them.

The media folks ought to consider that a compliment. This is how the Fourth Estate used to handle politicians, demanding to know the truth. The purpose is only that, not to take down anybody. Just the facts, Team McCain, just give us the facts.

If the facts aren’t flattering, the bloggers didn’t do that. Nor did the media. McCain and Palin can only blame themselves for the facts. It’s not the job of the press to pass on false stories.

The fact that unsubstantiated allegations appear on the Internet “is not a license for smearing” Palin, he said. “The campaign has been inundated by hundreds and hundreds of calls from some of the most respected reporters and news organizations. Many reporters have called the campaign and have apologized for asking the questions and said, ‘Our editors are making us do this, and I am ashamed.’ “

However, I’m really sorry if it makes them weepy. Like the princess and the pea, they’re really, really sensitive. Let’s notify Putin and Kim Il Jong and the terrorist leaders to be nicer to them before they wet themselves and get real embarrassed. We need to validate their feelings and give them hugs.

Here, Team McCain, have a popsicle.

And while you’re slurping that down please tell us one reporter’s name who said they were ‘ashamed’ to ask questions. Such reporters deserve to be fired. The only problem is that such reporters only exist within the fabric of lies that Schmidt is telling. If Team McCain had told the truth at the outset, there’d be no contrary facts coming out at all.

If one deals out inconvenient falsehoods, they’d better be prepared to deal with the way it comes back to bite them on the ass.

After all, McCain’s tough. He can handle it.