Last week presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama contributed an op-ed to The New York Times headlined "My Plan for Iraq."
In it, Senator Obama wrote:
According to The Drudge Report, Mr. Obama’s Republican rival, Senator John McCain, attempted to file a rebuttal but didn’t make it past The Times editorial board. According to an email sent to McCain’s staff from Times Op-Ed editor David Shipley, "’It would be terrific to have an article from Senator McCain that mirrors Senator Obama’s piece… I’m not going to be able to accept this piece as currently written."
Matt Drudge goes on to quote Mr. Shipley as saying, "I’d be pleased, though, to look at another draft."
In 2005, Mr. Shipley wrote an opinion piece explaining what The Times‘ op-ed editors do:
Mr. McCain’s op-ed, as written, appears on Mr. Drudge’s site.
Update, 4:50PM:The New York Times sent the following statement about Senator McCain’s Op-Ed:
It is standard procedure on our Op-Ed page, and that of other newspapers, to go back and forth with an author on his or her submission. We look forward to publishing Senator McCain’s views in our paper just as we have in the past. We have published at least seven Op-Ed pieces by Senator McCain since 1996. The New York Times endorsed Senator McCain as the Republican candidate in the presidential primaries. We take his views very seriously.