Press coverage of Obama puts envy in the air at McCain headquarters

The montage features news anchors and correspondents discussing "Obamamania" to Frankie Valli tunes, including "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." It was sent to supporters to raise campaign donations in a week when McCain has been largely overshadowed by coverage of Obama's overseas trip.

Charging the media with "a bizarre fascination with Barack Obama," the e-mail to supporters reads: "If it wasn't so serious, it would be funny." Among the clips is MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews reacting to Obama's speeches: "I felt this thrill going up my leg. I don't have that too often." Another clip showed Lee Cowan of NBC News telling the network's anchor, Brian Williams, about the enthusiasm of Obama's crowds: "It's almost hard to remain objective, because it's infectious."

In past campaigns, complaints about media bias have galvanized conservatives, which could help McCain as he tries to solidify the Republican base. In February, the campaign sought donations by citing a widely criticized New York Times report about McCain's ties to a female lobbyist. That appeal set a campaign record for the amount raised online in one day to that point.

But the sentiments in the fundraising e-mail Tuesday were also a public expression of months of grumbling by McCain advisors, who sarcastically call Obama "The One."

Ironically, McCain's own good relations with the media over the years have been the envy of his opponents. He has even joked about the press being his "base."

On McCain's plane from New Hampshire to Baltimore on Tuesday, advisor Mark Salter cited analyses by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, which studies the fairness of coverage by evaluating campaign articles. The project found Obama had a "distinct advantage" over McCain in the six weeks since Hillary Rodham Clinton left the race. Obama has appeared as a leading newsmaker in 78% of election stories, and McCain in 51%.

Salter joked that he'd moved from anger to resignation. "It is what it is," he said. "I would contend that the facts will show that Obama gets 50% more attention in the news than McCain does, post the primaries. I don't know if that is good or bad for us."