McCain Staff Ejects Black Reporter, Can't Explain Why

I look forward to the McCain campaign's apology after this disgraceful incident:

Tallahassee Democrat senior writer Stephen Price on Friday was singled out and asked to leave a media area at the Panama City rally of presidential candidate Sen. John McCain.

Price was among at least three other reporters, and the only black reporter, surrounding McCain's campaign bus — Gov. Charlie Crist and his fiancee, Carole Rome, were already aboard — when a member of the Arizona senator's security detail asked the reporter to identify himself. Price had shown his media credentials to enter the area.

Price showed his employee identification as well as his credentials for the Friday event.

"I explained I was with the state press, but the Secret Service man said that didn't matter and that I would have to go," Price said.

When another reporter asked why Price was being removed, she too was led out of the area. Other state reporters remained. [...]

[McCain's] campaign advance man said there were many reasons that could have prompted Price being asked to move, depending on how visible his press identification was, whether he had a bag and possibly information about McCain's movement, which could have prompted the security person to move people in one area and not in another.

Folks, this is ugly. If ejecting Price wasn't bad enough, the McCain staffer fumbles through a laundry list of accusations against Price with not a shred of evidence to back up a single one of them. I hope there's a better explanation, but right now it looks like Price's only misstep was reporting while black.

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