He's 71 years old, but the NY Times is reporting that McCain had an intimate relationship with Vicki Iseman during his first run for president eight years ago. Iseman was a 40 year old lobbyist who hung out with McCain all the time, so much that McCain's top advisors thought the relationship was romantic. There is nothing wrong with that, except:
news organizations reported that Mr. McCain had written letters to government regulators on behalf of the lobbyist’s client, the former campaign associates said, some aides feared for a time that attention would fall on her involvement.
McCain denies the relationship and that he did favors for her. But McCain does have a history of using his office to do favors for crooks. McCain was one of the Keating 5, five elected officials who acted improperly on behalf of Charles Keating, the businessman responsible for the savings and loan crisis back in the 1980s.
This is different than what the democrats do. Democrats have affairs. This is a business deal.
Maybe McCain will take over Dole's Viagra contract after the election -- the passing of the pencil.
Iseman hangs out with powerful men:
From Alternet: The moralist wing of the party is outraged, particularly Bay Buchanan, who was with the currently suspended Romney campaign. She was frothing at mouth last night on CNN's AC360, stoking the fundie fires. She obviously thinks her man Mitt would have walked away with the nomination had this story dropped back before Florida.
COOPER: Bay Buchanan, I have got to ask you. As you were working for the Romney campaign, would this have made a difference when you were with the campaign? I mean, how would this have changed things had that story broken months ago?
BUCHANAN: Oh. Oh, there's no question it would have impacted. No question it would have impacted our primaries.
And our -- we have a basic belief. If can you lie to your wife and your children, then the voter doesn't have a prayer. And, so, that's where we stand. We assume our candidates are that way, unless we -- we have reason to believe otherwise.
We -- we -- you know, conservatives are -- we believe that we are the family value party. We believe it seriously. We expect our candidates to live up to those values, not just to talk about them and expect us to vote for them, and not be there really when it counts.
You beat me! First thing I saw when I got home ..
BREAKING: NYT Exposes McCain Affair With Lobbyist
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022008Z.shtml
Jim Rutenberg, Marilyn W. Thompson, David D. Kirkpatrick and Stephen Labaton,
reporting for the New York Times, write: "A female lobbyist had been turning up
with him at fund-raisers, in his offices and aboard a client's corporate jet.
Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers
intervened to protect the candidate from himself - instructing staff members to
block the woman's access, privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting
him, several people involved in the campaign said on the condition of
anonymity."
Posted by: not my president | February 20, 2008 at 08:52 PM
Here is more information from Dick Bell at http://www.democracycellproject.net
I have heard that the Times had this story BEFORE this year's Iowa caucuses, and sat on it after mega-lobbyist-lawyer Bill Bennett met with Times editors. What is it with these people at the Times? In 2004, they sat on the story about Bush's illegal wiretapping for months before the November election, knowing perfectly well that the story would blow a big hole in Bush's re-election campaign,Just how cynical do you have to be to have even the slightest chance of understanding what's really going on in the land of big media and lobbying?
Posted by: not my president | February 20, 2008 at 08:56 PM
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Posted by: Legs | February 20, 2008 at 09:00 PM
Mac-Daddy McCain
by Scout Finch
Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 06:01:59 PM PST
McCain may have just been side-swiped. The NY Times is reporting that several former aides claim that McCain was suspected of having an intimate relationship with telecom lobbyist, Vicki Iseman during his 2000 campaign for President.
WASHINGTON — Early in Senator John McCain’s first run for the White House eight years ago, waves of anxiety swept through his small circle of advisers.
A female lobbyist had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, in his offices and aboard a client’s corporate jet. Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself — instructing staff members to block the woman’s access, privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting him, several people involved in the campaign said on the condition of anonymity.
When news organizations reported that Mr. McCain had written letters to government regulators on behalf of the lobbyist’s clients, the former campaign associates said, some aides feared for a time that attention would fall on her involvement.
Mr. McCain, 71, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 40, both say they never had a romantic relationship. But to his advisers, even the appearance of a close bond with a lobbyist whose clients often had business before the Senate committee Mr. McCain led threatened the story of redemption and rectitude that defined his political identity.
The Maverick may have been cheating on his wife and voters ---- all at the same time. How long before McCain is forced to make a "I did not have sex with that woman" type statement? Or worse yet.....a confession? As of now, they are both denying the story. Regardless of whether they were having an intimate affair or not, didn't John McCain realize that it was inappropriate for a telecommunications lobbyist to be "turning up with him at fund-raisers, in his offices and aboard a client’s corporate jet?" How could he not realize how inappropriate that is on a variety of levels? But, this isn't the first time that John McCain used poor judgement when it comes to lobbyists. And it wouldn't be the first time (by his own admission) that he cheated on his wife. He married his current wife, Cindy, only one month after he divorced his first wife. You'd think that he would have learned his lesson by now. Particularly after he had this to say in his memoir (via NYT):
By early 1987, though, the thrift was careering toward disaster. Mr. McCain agreed to join several senators, eventually known as the Keating Five, for two private meetings with regulators to urge them to ease up. "Why didn’t I fully grasp the unusual appearance of such a meeting?" Mr. McCain later lamented in his memoir.
When Lincoln went bankrupt in 1989 — one of the biggest collapses of the savings and loan crisis, costing taxpayers $3.4 billion — the Keating Five became infamous. The scandal sent Mr. Keating to prison and ended the careers of three senators, who were censured in 1991 for intervening. Mr. McCain, who had been a less aggressive advocate for Mr. Keating than the others, was reprimanded for "poor judgment" but was re-elected the next year.
It seems that poor judgement is a theme in John McCain's life. This story is bad for him from so many angles........I'm not sure if McCain survives this one. Speculation about an affair is one thing, but an intimate relationship with a telecommunications lobbyist? Not smart. Not smart at all.
And somewhere Mike Huckabee is smiling. Stay tuned.
Posted by: Daily Kos | February 20, 2008 at 09:01 PM
John McCain denies affair with lobbyist
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Posted by: England | February 20, 2008 at 09:23 PM
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Posted by: Watch him try to spin it | February 20, 2008 at 09:28 PM
http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/front_page/am_spec_nyt_covers_up_mccain_a_1.php
Posted by: Romney knew it earlier | February 20, 2008 at 09:32 PM
From "Radar"
Michael Isikoff of Newsweek and Michael Calderone of Politico were two of the reporters at rival publications who were chasing the Times story. Calderone was particularly well informed about the details of the Times investigation. Marc Santora, who had been covering the McCain campaign for the paper, reportedly left the beat, in part because of McCain's unhappiness with the pursuit of this story by Ruttenberg and his Times colleagues.
The story also recounts McCain's use of lobbyists in his campaign, and his frequent trips on corporate jets, until the law was changed to prohibit them. (McCain voted for the change in the law.) Keith Olbermann was among the first to discuss the article on MSNBC toight.
Posted by: Romney knew it earlier | February 20, 2008 at 09:36 PM
Keith Olbermann just broke into Hardball with a breaking news story, quoting a story just up on the NYT website, in which the NYT reports that McCain advisors supposedly intervened "to protect the candidate from himself" in 2000.
The supposed danger McCain posed to himself? The relationship with a female lobbyist, which the advisors were convinced was romantic (but which McCain and the lobbyist denied).
litigatormom's diary :: ::
UPDATE: KO has had Jonathan Alter, Richard Wolffe and Pat Buchanan on, all of whom confirm that this story was in the works (and that the chattering classes knew about it) before Christmas. The NYT apparently held the story -- perhaps because of the denials from McCain and the lobbyist, perhaps because they were still seeking other corroboration, perhaps because George W. Bush called them down to the White House and told them it would endanger national security. (That last part was snark.)
Buchanan says the story was on Drudge around the holidays.
The really devastating part of the NYT story, though, is that the story summarizes the long history of McCain's involvement in the savings and loan scandal.
Chuck Todd now on KO speculating whether Rush Limbaugh will use this to skewer McCain, whom he hates, or whether the wingnuttery will close ranks behind him because the attack is coming from the evil NYT.
UPDATE 2: Redstate has a thread up called "An Attempted McCain Bimbo Eruption." Many comments now: vast left wing conspiracy, NYT attacks will help McCain, what do you expect from corrupt liberal media, deliberate attempt to set off McCain ballistic temper, blah blah blah.
Most bizarre comment:
I would expect a smear-job in October from the NYT against our nominee, because that would be timed for maximum effect in the general election.
The timing of this is all wrong for that.
I am wondering whether this is really meant to help someone like Newt get in the race because I know there are plenty of power brokers in our party that are still pissed at McCain, and just like Drudge reported in December that McCain killed the story, maybe someone pissed at McCain revived it?
Seriously? The purpose of the article was to imply McCain is a serial adulterer so that another serial adulterer can get in the race?
UPDATE 3: McCain has just issued a press release saying it is a shame that the NYT has done a hit and run story, he has a long record, has never violated the law, has never violated the principles that have guided his career. To save you the trouble of going to the McCain website (which has a disturbing tendency to redirect you to the donations page) here is the release in its entirety:
Statement By Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker
ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today issued the following statement by Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker:
"It is a shame that the New York Times has lowered its standards to engage in a hit and run smear campaign. John McCain has a 24-year record of serving our country with honor and integrity. He has never violated the public trust, never done favors for special interests or lobbyists, and he will not allow a smear campaign to distract from the issues at stake in this election.
"Americans are sick and tired of this kind of gutter politics, and there is nothing in this story to suggest that John McCain has ever violated the principles that have guided his career."
Never violate the principles that have guided his career? You mean, opportunism and faux-maverickism?
UPDATE 4: The WaPo has picked up the story.
Posted by: More from Daily Kos | February 20, 2008 at 11:08 PM
but it was archived haha
http://www.bloggernews.net/113957
Posted by: V Iseman stuff has disappeared | February 20, 2008 at 11:14 PM
Gennifer Flowers came out today to remind everyone of her legacy in the pantheon of political scandals. She told the television show "Extra" that if Vicki Iseman "has nothing to hide, I think she should come forward."
Flowers was the other woman sixteen years ago during Bill Clinton's run for the White House. Back then Hillary Clinton - like Cindy McCain today - was the wife pointing out the "smear campaign." The one big difference between the characters today and in 1992, besides their party affiliations, is that the other woman has denied the affair. Gennifer Flowers held a press conference and produced audio evidence of sexual relations. Vicki Iseman appears to be hiding in an undisclosed location.
Below are the remarks Flowers made to "Extra" about the McCain-Iseman scandal.
When asked about her opinion regarding the recent reports of McCain's rumored affair, she responds, "I'm not going to make judgment on John McCain or the lady...Yet...If she has nothing to hide, I think she should come forward and clear it up." Flowers does offer advice to the other "other" woman. "Surround herself with excellent advisors before she makes any statements...If she has nothing to hide, I think she should come forward and clear it up," Flowers suggests.
Posted by: Gennifer Flowers | February 21, 2008 at 06:27 PM
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Posted by: ehafhqnfnzx | January 27, 2012 at 02:25 AM
I was skchoed to hear that you are going to appear for John McCain. What happened to standing up for conservative principles? Are you just all talk like most other politicians? J. D. Hayworth isa true conservative and deserves your support.
Posted by: Jody | February 10, 2012 at 11:58 PM