AP John McCain

"The email trail on this is something to behold…” Those words from a veteran producer at a competing network regarding the massive logistics going into election night at McCain headquarters.

I’m at the Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced Arizona Biltmore, where John McCain married Cindy in 1980, and where he has enjoyed many a victory party over the years. There is a strange, nervous lull here that comes before a big event, as hundreds of technicians, cameramen, producers, soundmen, reporters, truck engineers, and utility/phone experts all check, and double check, the equipment to make sure everything will work. There seems to be enough cable strung through here to go to the Moon and back.

Even so, there’s a lot that’s still up in the air. As of this writing, we still haven’t been told what tonight’s “program” will be. That's unusual. And even though nearly all of the festivities—and nearly all of the media—are set up inside the hotel’s large ballroom, the main event will be outside. Sen. McCain wants to give his speech tonight on the lawn at the Biltmore. Here he will have the Camelback Mountains as a backdrop, especially Piestewa Peak, named after Native American soldier Lori Piestewa, who died early in the Iraq war.

He wants to speak on the lawn, even though it will be dark and you won’t see the mountains. He wants to speak on the lawn, even though there isn't much space (intentional?). And he wants to speak on the lawn, even though everyone’s gathering inside the ballroom and will have to snake through metal detectors to get out to him. Fact is, there may not be room for everyone out there, so some supporters will watch his speech on monitors in the ballroom. That, also, is unusual.

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Here's an example of the tedious details that are at the heart of a set-up. There have been meetings upon meetings between network representatives and the campaign discussing everything from shuttle bus locations, to who gets to set up where out on the lawn. Originally, networks were told they could have one camera on the ground outside, and a second up on the roof. Cable was brought in to the roof. Then the fire marshal said “no” to that, unless a $40,000 platform was built. The networks responded with a “no” of their own. A compromise was reached late yesterday allowing the second camera from each network to be on a riser right behind the first camera. Then everyone had to arrive at 11 pm last night to choose their locations on the lawn—Fox got to go first (luck of the draw). You can’t imagine the time spent on meetings hashing out these details. It never ends.

I tell you who I feel sorry for—CNN. CNN is the “pool” for tonight’s event, meaning it will provide some of the best angles, and sometimes the only angles, on key events, sharing that video with everyone. At the McCain speech alone it will be providing six cameras to cover every possible angle, feeding that out to the rest of us. This, even though NBC will have two of its own cameras in there. The networks rotate who gets to be pool. It’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, if you’re pool, you know you’re in control and guaranteed to get the video you need. On the other hand, you’re working for everyone, and it can be a huge pain. The CNN folks in charge of the pool are incredibly capable, but my job is a lot easier today than theirs.

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Meantime, wandering the grounds of this beautiful resort I am surrounded by beautifully coifed, toned, tanned, well-dressed folks. Sprinkled among them are the media—young, green reporters covering their first big election along with veteran producers who could do this in their sleep. I saw one Italian journalist doing a video on the food. Overall, everyone is just…waiting.

By the way, the hotel wants us out of here by noon tomorrow.

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