You tell them, Steve!

Steve Schmidt, a senior adviser to John McCain, has issued this statement in the wake of the controversy over how well McCain vetted Sarah Palin before selecting her as his running mate:

Governor Sarah Palin is an exceptional governor with a record of accomplishment that exceeds, by far, the governing accomplishments of Senator Obama. Her selection came after a six-month long rigorous vetting process where her extraordinary credentials and exceptionalism became clear. This vetting controversy is a faux media scandal designed to destroy the first female Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States who has never been a part of the old boys network that has come to dominate the news establishment in this country. Senator McCain picked his governing partner after a long and thorough search. Governor Palin looks forward to addressing the nation and laying out the fundamental choice this election represents for the American people.

The McCain campaign will have no further comment about our long and thorough process. This nonsense is over. It is time to begin the debate about how to win the two wars this country is engaged in; how to make this country energy independent; and how to create jobs for American families that are hurting. The American people get to do the vetting now on Election Day – Nov. 4.

I'm fascinated by his notion that the campaign can declare "this nonsense is over," LOL. When does it ever work that way?

Given the confirmation that Palin didn't undergo an in-depth interview until two days before McCain announced her to the world and the ample evidence that there was little vetting of her on the ground in Alaska prior to that interview, it's hard to excuse the media--and the public--for wanting to understand more clearly how McCain went about selecting her.

IF ONLY A CAMPAIGN could press the "mute" button... then we wouldn't have had to watch those endlessly repeated Reverend Wright videos. Alas, it doesn't work that way.

Welcome to the real world, Mr. Schmidt.

UPDATE: More on the story from Slate.com.