The latest:

“At approximately 3 p.m. Mountain time, a McCain staff member in Denver opened an envelope that contained a threatening letter and an unknown white powder. As a precautionary measure, the campaign office was immediately closed and staff was sent to a local hospital for medical evaluation. Local authorities as well as the FBI and United States Secret Service have investigated the scene and determined that the substance poses no threat,” Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker said in a statement.

“Also yesterday afternoon, a similar letter was found in the campaign’s Manchester, New Hampshire office. After closing that office, the Manchester Police Department determined that there was no threat. Senator and Mrs. McCain thank the local and federal authorities for their swift response and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

What the media, in general, is leaving out is the fact that the New Hampshire alert was a complete fake with nothing behind it, and the “powder” in the Denver office was, at best, a “few grains” and turned out not to be anything but dust, probably. But the media continues to play this story as if it were a legitimate scare, and not a hoax perpetrated by the McCain campaign, using law enforcement illegitimately and probably illegally in an attempt to control the news cycle.

They really went too far in faking this, creating major inconveniences not just to their staff, but to rescue personnel:

Four members of McCain’s staff admitted themselves to a nearby hospital, and seven other staff members and four emergency personnel were quarantined as a precaution, Wiley said. He added that those in quarantine were likely to be released later in the evening.

Wasting public resources, derailing lives, scaring people… all to score a few political points. And it’s gonna work, too, because the media is playing along and no way anyone calls them on this.

You thought the Bush administration was corrupt, dangerous, and beneath contempt? Hold on to your hats, boys and girls–we’re just getting warmed up.