Gramm-Flap, Hour Eight

The McCain campaign is doing all it can to distance itself from Phil Gramm's off-key remarks published this morning. Says McCain:

I don't agree with Senator Gramm. I believe that the person here in Michigan that just lost his job isn't suffering from a mental recession. I believe the mother here in Michigan and around America that is trying to get enough money to educate their children isn't whining. America's in great difficulty and we are experiencing enormous economic challenges as well as others. Phil Gramm does not speak for me. I speak for me, so I strongly disagree.

Meanwhile, Gramm is refusing to back down from his comments, though he is trying to clarify their meaning. "I'm not going to retract any of it. Every word I said was true," he tells the Washington Post. In the context of his expanded explanation, the "mental recession" comment does sound less outrageous. Not that such context matters much once cable news takes over. Remember the fate of Wesley Clark. Long live Wesley Clark.

More from Gramm, as told today to the Post:

Look, the economy is bad. It is far below what we Americans have a right to expect, but we are not in a recession. . . . We may or may not have one in the future, but based on the data we are not in a recession. But that does not mean all this talk does not have a psychological impact. . . . When I said we've become a nation of whiners, I'm talking about our leaders. I'm not talking about our people. . . . We've got every kind of excuse in the world about oil prices -- we've got speculators, the oil companies to blame -- but too many people don't have a program to get on with a job of producing. . . . If you listen to our leaders, we can't compete against Mexico, for God's sake. . . . If they don't think we can compete against Mexico who can we compete against?

FOR MORE: See Karen's post on this down below.