Despite the self-inflicted wounds, McCain said he's not about to cut off his almost constant exposure to the media or would-be voters.
"I would not enjoy, in any way, the seclusion and keeping the media away," said the candidate, who sought the GOP nomination in 2000. "It just wouldn't be any fun and it's got to be fun."
In some ways, McCain doesn't have a choice.
"He raised expectations so high for his access in 2000, if all of the sudden he changed course and became less accessible and more prerecorded, then the media would jump all over him," said Dante Scala, who teaches politics at Saint Anselm College in Manchester.
And here's more about it:
There was never any question that reporters would be given free access to him on his bus. And there is never any question that he would pay visits to the same newspaper editorial boards that endorsed him last time. It is also why he is planning to end his campaign on Monday night with a rally in Portsmouth, the same place he ended his 2000 campaign.
It's a totally corrupt relationship.
