The McCain campaign got Robert Novak to do their dirty work, trying to steal headlines from Obama's trip, which McCain dare his opponent into taking:

"I got a suggestion from a very senior McCain aide late yesterday afternoon that he was going to announce it this week,'' Novak told Fox News Tuesday. "They didn't want it to come out the way it was going to come out, and they suggested I put it out.

"I then called another senior person who said, 'I can't talk about that, but wouldn't this be a terrific week to announce it, that is with Obama getting the headlines?' So I just put something on the Internet."

"I've since have been told by certain people that this was a dodge, they were trying to get a little publicity to rain on Obama's campaign,'' Novak told Fox. "That's pretty reprehensible if it's true, but we'll find out in a few days. "

Gee, he doesn't sound too happy. Novak has always been happy to pass on the GOP spin from his friends like Karl Rove. But he doesn't like to be manipulated like that. Wonder how that's going to play going forward.

UPDATE: After Novak does a hit-and-run job on Obama, he allegedly commits a real hit-and-run on K Street in Washington.