Republican presidential candidate John McCain has been under fire from all political sides in Colorado about his stance on reopening the 1922 Colorado River water agreement with downstream states - like his home state of Arizona. So, with the help of Sen. Wayne Allard, McCain tried to explain yesterday that he didn't mean to say what he said about taking Colorado's water. If anyone should remember the old-fashioned saying, "Closing the barn doors after the horses have left," it should be Grampa McCain.

In the letter to Allard, which was released to reporter Mike Saccone at the Grand Junction Sentinel, McCain claimed his comments were "misconstrued."
http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2008/08/20/082108_1b_McCain_letter.html

In Washington-speak that means, "The media is at fault for publishing what I said." That excuse may work with the Beltway Boys, but out here in the West, McCain's double-talk sounds more like a horse trader who acts surprised when his horse is found lame.