Fiorina excluded from McCain’s high-profile economic meeting.

Yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) defended his economic adviser Carly Fiorina, saying that he was “proud of her record.” But since her comments on Sept. 16 that neither McCain nor Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) were qualified to run a large corporation, the McCain campaign has pulled Fiorina from her role as a top surrogate:

When Republican presidential hopeful John McCain convened a high-profile roundtable to discuss the financial crisis with 12 economic advisers in New York yesterday, one absence was notable: Carly Fiorina. [...]

After at least six national TV appearances last week, Fiorina, 54, has stopped granting interviews and has spoken at just one campaign event since her Sept. 16 comment that none of the presidential or vice presidential candidates — including the ones she is advising — was qualified to run a major corporation.

Campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds told Bloomberg that Fiorina’s “status with the campaign remains unchanged,” although he refused to comment on her recent absences.