McCain: Reports on lobbyist a 'smear'

[onehandle]

Source: AP

TOLEDO, Ohio - Sen. John McCain, responding to published reports about his relationship with a lobbyist, says he "will not allow a smear campaign" to distract from his presidential campaign.

The New York Times quoted anonymous aides as saying they had urged McCain and lobbyist Vicki Iseman to stay away from each other prior to his failed presidential campaign in 2000. In its own follow-up story, The Washington Post quoted longtime aide John Weaver, who split with McCain last year, as saying he met with lobbyist Iseman and urged her to stay away from McCain.

Weaver told the Times he arranged the meeting after "a discussion among the campaign leadership" about Iseman.

Aides said McCain, now on the verge of securing the Republican nomination, would address the allegations at a news conference Thursday morning.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080221/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_lobbyist

[leftofcool]

1. "anonymous aides"

who fed info to the NYT.........which aides, from which party? I have to ask myself who stands to gain with this new swift boating tactic and I am not sure I like the answers I am getting.

Left of cool

[eringer]

3. How About the Guy in This Picture With Vicki? His Brother is Looking for a Job

[zanne]

2. Unless there's proof of this...

It's bound to hurt us more than it hurts McCain.

[snooper2]

10. And why would that be...

your comment makes 0 sense...

[zanne]

11. If there's no proof, they can just say that McCain is being smeared. nt

[lonestarnot]

4. A smear?

Is he going to mail it in for testing?

[Just-plain-Kathy]

5. Founding Member of the Keating Five

http://www.realchange.org/mccain.htm

Founding Member of the Keating Five

McCain was one of the "Keating Five," congressmen investigated on ethics charges for strenuously helping convicted racketeer Charles Keating after he gave them large campaign contributions and vacation trips.
Charles Keating was convicted of racketeering and fraud in both state and federal court after his Lincoln Savings & Loan collapsed, costing the taxpayers $3.4 billion. His convictions were overturned on technicalities; for example, the federal conviction was overturned because jurors had heard about his state conviction, and his state charges because Judge Lance Ito (yes, that judge) screwed up jury instructions. Neither court cleared him, and he faces new trials in both courts.)
Though he was not convicted of anything, McCain intervened on behalf of Charles Keating after Keating gave McCain at least $112,000 in contributions. In the mid-1980s, McCain made at least 9 trips on Keating's airplanes, and 3 of those were to Keating's luxurious retreat in the Bahamas. McCain's wife and father-in-law also were the largest investors (at $350,000) in a Keating shopping center; the Phoenix New Times called it a "sweetheart deal."

Mafia ties:

In 1995, McCain sent birthday regards, and regrets for not attending, to Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonano, the head of the New York Bonano crime family, who had retired to Arizona. Another politician to send regrets was Governor Fife Symington, who has since been kicked out of office and convicted of 7 felonies relating to fraud and extortion.

Family Problems

McCain has a reputation as a politician who has difficulty keeping his pants zipped, according to Republican sources. He acknowledges that his adultery broke up his first marriage. His second wife Cindy, the daughter of a wealthy Budweiser beer distributor, was addicted to prescription narcotics and even stole hard drugs from a medical charity that she ran. McCain acknowledges that she didn't want him to run, and only agreed once he promised that she doesn't have to go to New Hampshire or Iowa.

[bigworld]

6. A smear? Curious he never said it wasn't true.

Dollars to donuts, I'm thinking he poked her.

[SpiralHawk]

8. Poked her doughnut?

I guess us old guys are not, um, up on all the latest fun things...

[daleo]

12. Mmmmmmmm, donuts. n/t

[Joe Bacon]

7. Doesn't matter. Republicans can do anything and it's OK

Now, if this was Obama, the Whore Press would be in full throttled execution mode.

Meanwhile I'm just laughing my ass off over Pat Buchannan's comments. Mr Chlamydia himself says that EVERYONE should keep quiet about this. Well, We all know what Mr Chlamydia would say if this story involved Obama. He'd be shooting the Family Values shit out of his mouth 24/7.

Meanwhile Pat's Sister, the Bride of Frankenstein Bay Buchannan says the same old Republicans defend the Family bullshit today. Nevermind that the so called "Family Values" party is the party of Pastor Ted "Put some more crack in my ass" Haggard, Newt "Cheating on #4" Gingrich, Rudy "Taxpayers pay for my Booty Calls" Giuliani, Mark "I love those boys young and tender" Foley and Larry "Blow me in the Men's Room" Craig.

[fasttense]

9. Adultery has always been something the Republicans like to rally round. n/t

[daleo]

13. It has the quality of a "non-denial denial". n/t

[ngGale]

14. Sympathy vote, maybe?

Only benefits McCain. Most of the Repubs I know wanted Romney. The hypocrisy is fun to watch though, taking up for McCain...the same bunch who screamed Clinton in my ears for a couple of years.
:crazy: BCCI & The Keating Five...his real problems.

[truthisfreedom]

15. Someone take away this man's viagra. I cannot stomach a sex scandal featuring McCain.

Eww.

[GazaGuy]

16. Smear?

John McCain need not look to the New York Times for smears in
his life.   Cindy McCain's make-up aside, his wife's history
of stealing controlled medical substances from her own
"charity" has smeared his integrity long before the
Times REPORTED what seems to be an obvious no brainer.  

Cindy McCain's hollow robotic "Stand by My man who would
never do anything to hurt his family and  more importantly
something that would hurt the American people" was quite
the smear also.  Is it me or does she look like Goldie Hawn in
the second half of the movie, "Death Becomes Her"?

[Zephyrbird]

17. hmmm. You mean a pap smear campaign?

Nobody knows where that wrinkled old thing has been....

GIGGITYGIGGITYGIGGITY!!

Zephyr:shrug:

[marshall]

18. I'm surprised there isn't more discussion of this

Instead of obsessing over the Democratic primary why isn't there more attention to this chink in McCain's armor? Priorities have to be set straight!