(CNN) – For a few hours Tuesday morning, the latest campaign trail drama seemed to center not on policy or politics - but on pasta farfalle.
At least three “McCain Family Recipes” posted on John McCain’s campaign Web site and credited to his wife Cindy – including Ahi Tuna with Napa Cabbage Slaw, Passion Fruit Mousse, and Farfalle Pasta with Turkey Sausage, Peas and Mushrooms - appeared to be direct copies of dishes created by the Food Network. Another seemed to be a slightly altered version of a dish prepared by TV chef Rachael Ray.
The similarity was first noted by a New York attorney and appeared in a report on the Huffington Post Monday night.
The McCain campaign quickly moved to quell the controversy over cabbage slaw. “Apparently a web intern added Rachael Ray to our policy team without her knowing it,” McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds told CNN Tuesday morning. “He was swiftly dealt with and the page is down for revision. Our apologies to Food Network …but according to our press assistant the passion fruit mousse is really worth trying.”
Cindy McCain appears to be the only candidate spouse this year to devote a share of the official campaign Web site to recipes; neither Bill Clinton nor Michelle Obama currently have posted their favorite dishes on their spouse’s presidential sites. No word yet on when the Arizona senator's wife might unveil a new plan for the nation's Ahi tuna lovers.
Published on: April 15, 2008 at 8:45 am
From CNN Politics
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Is this news. I care about problems, gas prices,home prices,food prices,payckeks.
Vote Obama so he can try and address these problems
Republican recipes usually come from a cookbook called "Let Them Eat Cake" - and like everything else the Republicans cook up, the results always taste BITTER.
OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! Some junior staffer for the McCain campaign made a mistake??? CNN's Rebecca Sinderbrand, you are doing a wonderful job with this cutting-edge campaign reporting.
Actually, Rebecca, it's not your fault; it's your editor's. I am continually disgusted by what CNN finds newsworthy and what it doesn't. And you're probably just a junior staffer the way this kid that probably lost his or her job over this was. Kudos, CNN, for raising the questions everybody wants to know in this political season.
thank you once again demecrates for showing america how terribly pathetic and jaded you all are thanks for wasting our country on a racist black man that lies his butt off and a socialist women that lies even more none of their policies are realistic i cant believe you people actually think they cna do what they say or that it would work if it did look at our congress thats what need revamped imagin that we get a demecratic congress and our country goes to poop
Why do campaigns try BS like this when they know they will get caught, look stupid, and spend a lot of time explaining and spinning it away?
More importantly, why would Sen. John McCain, POW and red-blooded American, want us to think he is eating "ahi tuna with napa cabbage slaw"? or "farfalle pasta with turkey sausage, peas and mushrooms"?
I think it would be fun to put a plate of this crap in front of McCain and make him eat it with the cameras rolling as punishment for trying to put one over on us. Next time, maybe McCain will give us recipes for his favorite marinated steak, or BBQ ribs – something he actually eats and that Joe Sixpack can identify with.
This just in:
Home foreclosures up 57%;
Gas prices reach record highs;
Food inflation soaring;
Oh yeah, and the war in Iraq goes on and on and on.
We now return you to your regular daily dose of mainstream media fluff and nonsense that they like to call "news."
It amazes me that you have to attend college to practice in this field.
Very elitist recipes.
I really don't appreciate the coverage of recipe-gate. What issue does this address? I don't watch the news to be entertained – I want to be informed. A better topic than Cindy's recipe-stealing is the fact that John McCain is claiming he'll cut gasoline taxes this summer and offer relief to homeowners going into foreclosure in 2008 when the election isn't until NOVEMBER. Did Bush simply appoint him as the next president – and why is the media letting him get away with such obviously hypocrisy of selling the country a plan that cannot be implemented (as he accuses the democrats of doing)? Incredible what CNN thinks is relevant!!! Incredible that he thinks he's president already.
Will John McCain ever answer the questions that the American people want to hear? He has never said how he will pay for a long war in Iraq, is he for embryonic stem cell research that the right wing is against, who will his healthcare cover, why does he want permanent tax brakes for the rich after he said he was against them ( flip flop). If the press are all in the pocket of the Fox Phonies with all of nonsense that they cover, then who do we the public turn to inorder to get the real answers? If McCain is elected as president we will all be cooked!
McCain obviously needs to keep an eye on the interns. So does Obama. As for the Clintons, I think it best if the potential First Husband is kept as far away from the interns as possible, due to his "hands on" management style.
While HIllary was duck hunting in cold water, Bill was chick hunting, which got him into hot water....
It's the phony baloney thing. These were supposed to be family recipes. I mean if the lords of the media are brown nosing McCain with donuts and coffee they should at least have the decency to ask him about his favorite recipes. If you are what you eat – he's phony inside and out.
Ok, so she steals her ideas from the Food Network / Rachel Ray and McCain steals his policies from Bush.
Between the two of them, can't someone come up with an original idea?
Obama '08
This article is taunting the obama camp... it's like this is the only problem i have with my campaign. Good luck with hillary and explaining your bitter comments.
So McCain now has intern problems. I hope the intern kept the dress she spilled the recipe on so there's proof.
Mccain is hope less case old man. I see Mccain I see Bush what is the difference. No more repulican so called conservative who never reads the bible yet calls him self the true christian God must be laughing with the behaviour of this conservatives.
Ross Perot would have the White House sewn up by now despite clintoon, obama, and McCain. A liar, the inexperienced, and an old man. He should have run...
Oh my God!!!! This man is a monster!!!! Impeach McCain!!!!!! Death to McCain!!!! Think of the children!!!!!
I'm glad to see many Democrats posting on this article and saying how ludicrous this whole story is. Who cares anyway?
Had this article been about actual issues that people care about I would be a little more apt to take it seriously. But recipes?
I actually was thinking I'd see many Democrats posting about how McCain can't be trusted because his website apparently has recipes that are not original.
So if they posted a recipe for mashed potatoes would someone have a gripe? Everyone likes to think they own things when in fact I'm sure every single recipe out there was created by many other people, many times over, and nobody is truly the owner.
Let's get back to the bickering in the Democratic party now. At least that is fun to watch.
So she copies her recipes from someone else like the rest of us. What does this have to do with HER HUSBAND'S qualifications as President?
Wow! I thought plagarism was against the law. Why aren't there charges? If you were in school, you would be expelled for something like this. Oh well, this is America and its not about what you know but who you know. Right Hillary? Since the rich are entitled to the presidency, I guess it does not matter if they do something wrong. It only matters if you are black and tell the truth about what is really going on in America. We would rather be in our own little corner pretending there is nothing wrong than we would deal with the issues that are really facing our country like racism.
My American People,
Regardless of your polical stance, if yopu have educated yourself on the candidates you will see that MCCAIN is a death sentence for Americans and our furture.
I have yet to hear his plans (besides keeping our troops in Iraq for the next 100 years) on the serious issues that we are currently facing.
Yet, he has recipes on his website to share with us. Talk about "Out of Touch". If American are losing their homes and jobs, just how are they going to buy the ingredients??? and are they suppose to cook this meal.
THis man is NO GOOD for America!!!
Obama 08 "Yes We Can"
i love Obama. I don't care what you all come up with to slander
his name. It don't matter to most Americans when they listen
to the Republicans and Hillary and Bill. The White House on the
Hill will not be for Bill and Hill.
Slander his name all you want in all the upcoming smear ads.
I will stand for a man that knows the word, "bitter" a word that
is insulting for the rich and the elitists of our rotting government.
The elitists are what made it so. McCain voted against the Gi
Bill so that the Soldiers will be forced to re-enlist because there
are no jobs for them otherwise. And Hillary is a Republican calling
herself a Democrat. No Please, Not Hillary or McTrickster!!!!
If they raid Food Network for recipes, maybe McCain's economic policy on his Web page was plagiarized from the speeches of Gordon Gekko in "Wall Street:"
"Greed is good!"
WHO CARES ABOUT HOW CINDY McCAIN'S FISH TASTES???
I want to know to how John McCain plans to end the war in Iraq! Oh yeah, he doesn't plan to end the war.
My bad.
VOTE OBAMA!
(And, I am amazed that Cindy McCain even knows how to cook. I thought Stepford wives were much less capable robots than that. Again, my bad. Of course, since they are copying recipes, maybe she CANNOT actually cook.)
Sounds like elitist recipes to me