NYT:
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.
I’d actually heard rumor of this story last week.
No jokes about "lobbyists" and "pork."
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She looks like Cindy
LOL!
Jane! That was quick!
This is toooo wonderful to be true. (In a political sense) I hope he didn’t throw away too much taxpayer money doing his humping.
Surprise! Surprise!
Senator Obama will knock Mr. McCain out of hie socks.
Cindy wears a beautiful raspberry in this clip. She is not afraid of color, is she?
very interesting turn of events, indeed
Certainly, a newer model… Bwhahahaha… ;-)
Second best element of this story: KO got to interrupt & displace Tweety to break this story on MSNBC.
He should marry her and run on a polygamy platform
Hullo hullo, what’s this then … McCain has been Porking a Lobbyist in Iraq for 100 Years ?!!
… wink wink nudge nudge …
There is a Goddess.
Gives new meaning to the nickname “tail gunner,” non?
Thats politics.
Yep–McCain’s gone people. Gone! Just like that. You just can’t make this stuff up!!!
He does run to type, doesn’t he?
I’m 30% convinced it’s a ploy to combat the “he’s too old” thing.
LOL
Noticed this right away, Tweety is unbearable tonight.
You beat me to that!!!!
Here comes HUCK!!!!!!
Can the press gaggle following him around PLEASE get bright colored tee shirts with this photo of the plastic blond chick emblazoned, front and back and wear them 24/7?
Just askin…
President Obama. We are awaiting your arrival in the White House.
This is just a ploy for the “Viagra vote:” old white guys who envy him [and envied Bill Clinton]
So true. The king of the mountain. Alpha male. LOVE IT!!!
I wonder if W has ever had an affair…puke…
I wonder how proud of America Mrs. McCain is now?
“Any hint that I might have acted to reward a supporter,” he wrote, “would be taken as an egregious act of hypocrisy.”
Where’s EG?
The Iseman cometh.
I think it is a set up, Repugs hate Mc Cain
I’m 30% convinced it’s a ploy to combat the “he’s too old” thing.
darn. Beat me to the proposed spin strategy….
exactly what i was thinking. it didn’t seem to hurt clinton outside of the beltway.
Lahoma tells me it feels good to be backing a winner. Sen. Obama.
Only with Gannon
You win!!!!
Maybe he was just auditioning for Dole’s former slot….in the Viagra ad.
I note that this still allows remarks about hard salamis, sausages, and cucumbers. Lobbyists can I believe get behind any and all of these.
Money paragraph from the NYT: The senator declined repeated interview requests, beginning in December. He also would not comment about the assertions that he had been confronted about Ms. Iseman, Mr. Black said Wednesday.
Watching KO now, and wow wow wow, this does not look good (granted we don’t know the whole story) but nonetheless, wow
here comes Mitt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are Republicans taking him out themselves? To be replaced by….
I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms Iseman. LOL
Hi Jane! ; )
Now if Obama becomes the Dem nominee, this will fit a pattern: He’s gonna get a break from his opponent’s scandal, just as he got breaks from his opponents’ sex scandals when he was running for the Senate. Incredible…
“A female lobbyist had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, in his offices and aboard a client’s corporate jet.”
This is how Ivana Trump found out about whatshername…..the one that had his kid and got in the big divorce thing with him…Marla Maples?
These kind of guys and women are the worst of cheaters (Bill included)…my Hungarian friend used to say they like to “present the evidence” on a “platter right under the wife’s nose”….
Helikes himself some peroxide blonds.
or as a close personal friend and Naval aviator said to me:
I like the dollies with the goodies.
You gotta wonder….
did KO just say that this story is from incidents of 2000?
Hi, Cozumel!
I believe you.
And there goes the rest of the week and also the weekend…
You have to put one in for the Gray Lady on this one…
That’s my feeling … had it been our side, they would have left this story for the General Election.
We will vote for Senator Obama or Senator Clinton for our next president.
yup
Yep – she looks like Cindy when he first met and married the his blondective heiress. I am enjoying all this way too much. Guess this means Ron Paul will be Huckabee’s sole competition at the Rethugs May convention. Bahwahahahahaha.
You are killin me Kiddo!
Time to start digging..is this the r’s version of vetting?
Ding. He suspended his campaign while this played out. Unbelievable.
No Cofer Black!!!! No Mitt Romney!!!
Remember…Cheney’s daughter works for Mitt.
Save McCain from the rest of us!
All I can say is WOW!
And his second wife was a addict who got busted for stealing drugs. Good old republican family values.
repeat after me… McCain the SINNER!
Dood! Speaking of nudge, nudge, the better half volunteered me for the Precinct Treasurer… I think wearing shades sealed the deal…! ;-)
Well his wife will always have her pride in the country.
If it is the R’s taking Gramps out, what then?
Good point…
I agree – strikes me as a set-up too…
this is an 8 year old story? the fellas on msnbc are just BREATHLESS!
McCain ain’t Able
Hi Jane, I don’t think so. I think the cons are behind this. I think that this speaks volumes about the question that has ben on everyone’s lips for a week: Why hasn’t Huckabee dropped out.
Just ask McBush if he’s ever had sex with her. He’d be glad to answer- under oath of course.
Blow Job on the Straight Talk Express?
yup – from 2000.
I smell the cordite from a Republican knee-capping.
Mr. Limbaugh? Ms. Matalin? Ms. Comstock?
Mitt only suspended his campaign.
Jonathan Alter…oh..it will pass…
The Pukes eat their own.
Lahoma says the same thing. Every day. ;0)
The details seem to be coming from his old staff. Republicans want him out so they can TRY to make a race of this. With who??
NO!!!! Now Joe will have to leave the campaign and come back to Connecticut. Please save us!!
who is the eraser head saying that this is going to play out due to the sexual component (or lack of)? I could care less about that part (in fact, ewwwwwww) but rather his activities on behalf of a lobbyist and the appearance of hypocrisy. thanks KO for repeating for this tool the actual aha of the story.
Sex and money.
I’d agree that a rumor might actually help his image. But the reporting that his aides had to “intervene” to “protect him from himself” is a whole nuther level.
KO just compared that element to Clinton/Lewinsky —
That shout you just heard was “halleluia, a miracle!” from the Hucksters.
707!
You’re killing me Mauimom – laughing so much my pooch & kitty are spooked.
Jane, Any rumors on who contacted the Times? Awhile back there was a story about Santorum wanting to put out info on him.
I’d like to be a fly on the wall just about now…
Cindy McCain: WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Someone worse and more electable.
So, what do y’all think of the press lovin’ St. McCain now?
You beat me to it; that’s exactly what I wanted to say. You know, Where’s Huckabee? (I don’t even know how to spell it.) Maybe Huck stayed in because he just knew there was something off stage. Remember it took almost no time for the Hart curtain after Donna Rice. Now we just have to wait to hear the McCain story.
Nice going, when do you become filthy rich and corrupt ?!! *g*
There’s that too!!
I made popcorn as soon as i saw this (the real thing, with real butter) *ndfg passes around a huge bowl* I luuurrrvvvv Rethug sex scandals if they involve consenting adults.
I’m glad to see the repeated remarks about the S&L scandal. Perhaps next will be a summary of “the Keating Five” to remind everyone of “Saint McCain’s” involvement there.
Why is Alter pushing the “this too shall pass” meme?
Funny this breaks right after the last post: clearing the path for St. John McVain. I don’t think the saint part will fly anymore.
No wonder the Huckster stuck it out…he’s been alluding to a “miracle”…Heh.
Since we’re talking about a senator and a D.C. lobbyist, isn’t this really a story about cocktail weenies?
KO is agreeing with you, LS. This is the right wing take down.
oh, that’s why they called it straight . . .
Tweety has been going on and on about his interview from last night with the Wash. State senator who couldn’t answer his question. He’s been flogging it all day. He seems very proud of himself.
Give McCain some credit, at least it was only one Lobbyist that he was beholden to… The vast majority can’t claim such selectivity…! He was monogamous… Bwhahaha… ;-)
It’s just a R sex scandal. Move along. Nothing to see here.
if you look closely at her picture, you can see THE stain on her dress.
Oh man… The Lieber fall out… Excellent..
Unfortunately I can’t print here some of the better comments my husband’s making.
i must be missing something big from the cable TV shows… cuz i just read through the nyt article and it doesn’t look like anything more than rumors and guesses.
Keith just said “flesh this out”…
What a great question; LOL. Thank you. I have always been proud of my country and my husband the Senator. Always.
Tweety is an ass, he can’t help it
Ko is going to “flesh this out.” He should have given a spew alert.
So, what do y’all think of the press lovin’ St. McCain now?
Well, he’d better hope that they’re all indeed “my friends” now…
I’ve got $20, however, that he’ll never be called on the carpet by Timmeh…
What, pork in the lobby? Huh? A republican? St John McCain was he porking her while Cindy was on the required republican pain-killers?
Oh no…there’s Gambling at Rick’s!
KO: “we shall ‘flesh this out’ “.
Probably about the time ya get published…! 8-P
1,762 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…
Citizen Loo Hoo and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
“The king of the mountain. Alpha male. Love it.”
But let’s see if this story ken grow legs outta the netroots…ken the blogs keep this thing alive? I’m not bettin’ that it’s gunna see the light of the cameras of the corporate media.
OT…did you say you spent some cold mights in Bemidji? I was born there. Grampa Ole once told me that one mornin’ he put the coffee on the back stoop ta cool off and it was so cold tand it froze so fast that when he picked it up the ice was still hot. Not THAT’s cold…yep, you betcha!!
KEEP THE FAITH AND WATCH THE BASTARDS TRY AND FIND THE PONY IN ALL THE HORSESHIT!!!
It must have made him look like a real reporter, if only in his own slitted eyes …
I was wondering about this too. The problem is, of course, trying to find a major Republican politician who isn’t an adulterer. Well, Larry Craig maybe.
Karl Rove. Are you liking this?
They both have lawyers since Drudge reported on this earlier!
Hillarys campaign is using it too.
I gave to Obama for the first time and not only was the money matched, but I was given the name of the matcher and could send them a message.
This is way classy
you think jane will censor you?
she of the ole 60 grit posts?
comeon – spill.
Was Cindy doing oxyticin?
My husband has always said that Cheney HATES McCain because McC was so critical of Rumsfeld and pushed for his firing. This seems like a Cheney thing to me. If the veep is behind it, he probably doesn’t care about any party fallout, he just wanted to destroy McC. That’s his idea of fun.
Mitt has got to be PISSED!
You know, that when St. John left his first wife he left her for a younger, blonder, wealthier model. History repeats itself?
The NY Times, had the story since before the Iowa caucus but was convinced to hold off printing (per Pat Buchanan– who seems to know quite a bit about it)
Buchanan makes a decent point. Why not out this story before McCain wins the nomination?
Apparently, Drudge broke if first.
Can we call McCain “Humpty Humpty”?
CNN crickets
FOX crickets
http://www.opednews.com/maxwri…..p?did=5270
Sorry, here’s the link.
Karl. I think your party is in a pickle.
Pat Buchanan reporting that he’d read NYT had been holding the story since before the Iowa caucuses. Why now. Unfair, he says.
wasn’t his campaign only suspended?
Kinda like Newt.
Must elect McCain
He can still get it up at 71
Must elect McCain
Yea, he would have liked a crack at her too!
Good one. That could be his campaign slogan – “He could do it eight years ago”
Karl. I think your party is in a pickle.
I think he’s part of this, just like South Carolina.
“Buchanan makes a decent point. Why not out this story before McCain wins the nomination?”
Yeah, but that’s shoot the messenger. That dog won’t hunt ; )
707!!!!
Yes. Suspended, as was Edwards’ campaign.
Buchanan: “NYT has not made any hard allegations.”
ROFL
This will enable him to step back in. This was planned. All along the McCain thing has not made sense. Now it does. They hate McCain, and they’ve taken action to ditch him. Mitt’s had a nice little regroup vacation.
LOL
Did Pat crack a smile or was he blissfully oblivious of the pun ?
Hey baby wanna boogie? Boogie woogie woogie with me!
et tu Mittster?
Pat Buchanon needs a blue dress and a sample before he will call a GOPer a sinner.
707
Pat Buchanan:
a) NYT conspiracy, or
b) old affairs are no story. (William Jefferson Cl…who?)
c) Obama and Hillary touch this story at their peril (wink, nudge, hint….Pleeeease)
This has substance, IMHO. From the NYTimes:
True… I understand about Faux Spew, but, CNN…? Interesting…
I sort of like that it’s a man and a woman; something unique in that scandal.
Hi Jane and Pups.
Yes, I still exist – just bizzy bizzy bizzy these days.
This is one of those annoying drop-ins, with apologies.
In case no one else has hazarded a cost analysis,
Would this quite possibly be the most expensive vi*gra ad in history?
Stay tuned, if you can.
ohgawd, pattybuch’s in whine-mode, with a side of “explanation/excuse/whut-if. Thas o.k., KO will handle with his usual professional acumen, even tho now uberprof. Patty’s now giggling.
Oh. My.
Hillary. I am so sorry. You simply can’t BUY a headline at any price this year. There’s just too much going on.
Then there’s the aborted shoot-down of the boogy-satellite today, and an eclipse of the full moon scheduled for tonite (9p – ish EST???).
I think I’ll cross fingers that at least the last of the list can happen without human misintervention!
He was on the phone
That soon, eh ?!! *g*
I’ll see ya in Rio !
I just threw up in my mouth a little
Mauimom – you could give your husband he keyboard… then you could claim you had nothing to do with it?
Hi, all!
kiddo is the anti-NorskeFlamethrower
President Obama. We are thinking of your appointments.
Damn.
It’s a great opportunity to reintroduce all the K-Street Barbara Comstock, Jack Abramoff dirt.
I think it was percocet from a clinic she worked in.
the only think that makes me look forward to an obama presidency is the current whitehouse occupant.
Yes please….many more!
Tonight is the lunar eclipse of John McCain and the GOP.
The Lunar Eclipse is slated for around 8:43 p.m. EST, unless that Missile takes out the Moon instead …
There was also a TX Rep who couldn’t answer a question about any Obama bills/legislation,etc. Played over and over; our local loved it.
Actually, Lahoma and I love Norske. ;0)
lol! I swear sometimes kiddo is a scriptkiddie
por que no?
I tells ya what, how about Marleyfest in Jamaica, next year…! *g*
Well, he’s evidently young enough to *sit* behind the desk in the Oval Office….
That works, my friend. ;0)
How can you tell McCain is a republican maverick?
His date was female and of legal age.
Meanwhile, over at Fox, BillO’s not touching it…
You mean Texas Senator. Both WA State Senators are D-ladies: Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.
Ya mon !
so, if mccain pulls a gary hart, who takes it from there?
me thinks teh huckster!!!
Aah, ya never saw my update that rough seas aborted it for tonite…! ;-)
Buchanan was right – Hillary can’t touch this issue….
Obama, otoh,….. hehheh.
I think that’s what pissed them off so much … *g*
Yes, that’s the one. Tweety caught him unprepared and flogged it all day today on MSNBC beginning early this morning.
Eclipse happening now.
What … the eclipse has been aborted … how rough are those Seas ?!! *g*
I have never been so proud of my country. lol
Bush is still in Africa meaning Cheney gets to push the big button to fire the missile. “No, I want to push this Iran one.”
John McCain’s rectitude?
The same John McCain the St Petersburg Times wrote about eight years ago?
That word does mean what the NYT thinks it means.
They meant to say:
worm
Oh – and where did the St. Petersberg Times get their scoop?
Why – the NYT. Eight years ago:
McCain and the NYT’s political “coverage”: one good worm deserves another.
Yea but youse guys are so cheery, whereas salty old farts like me and the Norske. . .not so much.
“scriptkiddie”. I’ve never heard that term before. What does it mean? Is that the same as a scriptkiddo? Hope you are having a good evening my friend. ;0)
Not the moon! All the romance would be blown away.
Ya left out the obligatory ‘married’ part…! ;-)
Way to go, Johnny Boy. Give the man a CIGAR! LMAO
Like I said earlier today…….by November, things will have changed.
selise, why do you dislike obama
is clinton any better?
I have no real issues with either candidate personally except for electability, we could have and should have done much better, there is no reason for an ideoligical campaign this cycle, I would have preferred edwards of course but that ain’t happening
so what issues with obama, I ahve some issues with clinton, her proximity to consolidated media but in general I think she’s a good politician
It is interesting that Cindy McCain got a “Rushbo” deal for her little-bitty drug problem. A slap on the wrist and a sentence that amounted to nada,zip, zilch for her theft of narcotics. You’d think Rush would feel some kinship for La Famiglia McCain…
Is *this* why McCain never fought back against GWB in 2000 after the slams against his family – lesser of two evils?
Those are the U.S. Senators. This was a lowly State Senator. He was an Obama supporter and Tweety caught him flat-footed. He could have been from Texas, but I thought he was from Washington State.
The adoring, um, … all those weeks she stood by with that starched/strained/adopted/botoxed Pat Nixon look during the campaign.
Then she started breaking the facade to go on attack for him…
omg, I do NOT want to be a fly on the wall hearing everything in headquartersCaimen tonight….
This story has legs. From the Gray Lady. Are you kidding? The NYTimes has more, otherwise they wouldn’t have broke it after almost ten years:
Pups, The NYTimes article is just words.
MEDIA FIREWORKS: MCCAIN PLEADS WITH NY TIMES TO SPIKE STORY
Thu Dec 20 2007 10:49:27 ET
Just weeks away from a possible surprise victory in the primaries, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz has been waging a ferocious behind the scenes battle with the NEW YORK TIMES, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, and has hired DC power lawyer Bob Bennett to mount a bold defense against charges of giving special treatment to a lobbyist!
McCain has personally pleaded with NY TIMES editor Bill Keller not to publish the high-impact report involving key telecom legislation before the Senate Commerce Committee, newsroom insiders tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
The paper’s Jim Rutenberg has been leading the investigation and is described as beyond frustrated with McCain’s aggressive and angry efforts to stop any and all publication.
The drama involves a woman lobbyist who may have helped to write key telecom legislation. The woman in question has retained counsel and strongly denies receiving any special treatment from McCain.
MORE
We love you too, Raven. Really.
L.
It’s an internet/cyber-guerilla thing.
The Obama Tsunami shall inundate the Potomac…! ;-)
oh, i’m no fan of clinton either. well, unless i compare either one of them with bush. then they look great.
They are really trying to play this down…tomorrow he’ll say okay..blah, blah, blah…but reality is Cindy McCain is going to eat him alive!!!!!!! Can you imagine..all the money…wow, it will be like the McCartney divorce..
as are we jpl9
if the new york times publishes it, it’s got more then words, it’s got legs
Nothing at Red State about it, wonder why? Did they all just have a collective stroke?? LOL ; )
because the nyt is such a reliable newspaper?
ok, I have the epihpane of the week;
the new york times broke the story today so the democrats don’t have it in the general
you heard it here first from me
oh yea
BillO want to know why Elvis made soooo many movies?
because according to my girlfriend, he was teh hawt
He was from Texas and Randi Rhodes says they only meet every other year.
But what does it mean? Seriously. I’m kinda dense (or sluggish) tonight. I suppose. ;0)
McCain will come out tomorrow and laugh it off saying, “Hey, at least I was’nt screwing around with another guy!”
From a 12/07/07 WaPo article on the allegations. I’d really like the Keating Five issue to come back & bite him in the a**.
They have a pool.
It mirrors the tale about his relationship with Mrs. McCain, Wife #2…who worked as a Campaign aide in his offices while he was already married. Kathy was half his age (although an adult), and the daughter of his biggest campaign contributor, a beer distribution magnate in Arizona and Nevada. The affair happened while he was still married, with lots of overt dinners and joint appearances at various engagements. Kind of embarassing for the devoted with that stuck with him through all his POW years. Just makes you wonder who the hero was in all of this.
This was less than ten years after the Congressional sex scandals of the early 1980’s. Rep. Dan Crane (exalted as the “Kennedy of Republicans”) was caught with one of his former aides in an adulterous affaire. He quit the girl, and was censured on the House floor, but tearful pleas by Henry Hyde for “Christian Mercy” [himself an adulterer and who later led the impeachment quest against Clinton], allowed Crane to stay on in his House seat. Republicans DID show mercy, re-nominating Crane in the contested primary, but he lost in the General Election.
McCain apparently ignored all this hubbub going on around him. He was straight-talking John McCain, war hero.
Kathy McCain, now married to John, later received a no-interest loan from a banker named Charles Keating for a strip-mall (unfortunately not a strip club, that would have been really interesting). Keating’s Saving and Loan became embroiled in a real-estate loan fiasco quite similar to the current sub-prime scandal, and when investigators were closing in McCain told the chief investigator to “back off”. Although Keating went to jail, McCain got off with a hand-slap (several other Senators either quit or lost in subsequent elections…Arizona voters seem awfully forgiving). Oh, and S&L’s got a massive multi-billion dollar bailout (the largest in US history).
John, who lacks an understanding of economics, voted for that bail-out, and has consitently supported bailing out the current crop of high-risk taking bad lenders. Ah yes, the old Republican devotion to
free market capitalismbig business corporate donors…who deserve the handouts that Jesus (obviously, a commie-pinko like Michelle Obama) said should go to the least amongst us.McCain voted against giving a little money to retirees on fixed incomes, or food stamps to the poor and lower middle class in the last “economic stimulus passage”.
I have to think that there is more coming.
Otherwise this strikes a “who cares” chord with me.
Granted, I felt the same way about the Lewinski story…
They pulled the story before the Iowa caucus, or so said Pat Buchanan (I think).
That doesn’t endear the NYT to me much. Aren’t they supposed to provide information so we can be an informed electorate? When did their motto become “Anything that falls on the floor is mine, yap yap!”
Cindy’s giving him a black eye tonight.
and he will say;
“and I wouldn’t be getting a blow job in the oval office, be certain of THAT
Yea, and I couldn’t swim today because my big doggie bit the crap out of my hand by accident!
That’ll go far… in Repug circles…! Bwhahahaha…! ;-)
this was revealed so it;
1) vettes mccain for a better candidate if this has legs
2) takes away the power of it from the democrats in the general election
He’s from TX. I thought CM bullied him. He as Mayor of Austin for a few years, did a very good job, nice guy. The local angle is what kept our local TV so interested…over and over, poor guy.
All politics are
localpersonal..she must be fit to be tied…she’s not going to handle this like HRC.Cindy and her family controls the purse strings. She is humiliated and pissed off. Guaranteed.
Now stop it Raven. We really do. Love you.
Lahoma
KO – McCain and Isen both denying that “there are any affairs”.
Oh my – we’re back to meaning of what “is” is.
Thanks for reminder, edge of moon just starting now.
KO showing Bill Clinton saying It’s all on you to the citizens of Beaumont Texas.. Beaumont is one of the most racist communities in the US.
OMG…I tried to break up a fight between two Rotts…bit the hell out of my arm…I almost fainted.
Peroxide and Neosporin…liberally. I’m sorry to hear that…dogs do what dogs to.
Somebody is being mean, script kiddie:
is a derogatory term used for an inexperienced malicious cracker who uses programs developed by others to attack computer systems, and deface websites. It is generally assumed that script kiddies are kids who lack the ability to write sophisticated hacking programs on their own,[1] and that their objective is to try to impress their friends or gain credit in underground cracker communities.
Kiddo, I enjoy your friendly, positive posts, although I may be the last one in TX that will vote for HRC……
“do” not “to” (slaps forehead)
The Times Story so far doesn’t have much in the way of hard facts. There is a lot of commentary about the persepective of the Keating Five story as a backdrop for McCain’s “reinvention” of himself, but I don’t see a lot of hard fact for an affair between Iseman and McCain. If they have substantive information that McCain has crossed a line by helping this lobbyist or her clients, I don’t understand why they’d be rationing the facts for a future story, and if McCain hired Bill Bennett to talk to the Times, I’d like to see what they have that they didn’t print (that made them decide to go with this story.
The Keating connection is summarized, which isn’t unusual since McCain is the Republican nominee for President and I’d expect several more Keating stories as a natural context in the hot white light that hits a Presidential candidate.
Then there are a few paragraphs of backdrop for McCain-Feingold legislation.
There may be the fire of an affair, but right now all I see is the smoke of suggestion:
I guess reporters now are tracking down people with whom Iseman was alleged to have shared accounts of an affair:
Mr. Weaver added that the brief conversation was only about “her conduct and what she allegedly had told people, which made its way back to us.” He declined to elaborate.
I don’t see the names of the former associates and aides who were alleged to have warned Iseman away from McCain. Are they protected sources?
If something is going to be damaging here to McCain,there are going to have to be more stories with more detail and better butressing that their was either an help for a lobbyist that was over the line–this looks a little grey and unfortunately not that much out of the ordinary for a Senator–or hard evidence of an affair you’d expect from a leading newspaper.
That’s right. And don’t forgert it! ;0)
scriptkiddo works :) u 2 have a gud evening 2!
Didn’t Bush have sleepovers with a his best mayor pal?
Totally my fault, I reared back to fire the ball without paying attention to how close he was, he felt awful.
I am old enough to have been around for this whole sorry episode, and am always disappointed that collective memory seems to have forgotten it.
Thanks for your refresher.
or what McCain’s term, “My friends” means.
He says he froze commenting on his blog today. Didnt expect that attack and
he was good humored about it.
yeah, the New York Times, that cornerstone of the liberal media…who had the story of the warrantless wiretapping in 2004, before the election…and sat on it till winter ‘05….if they had broke that when they got it, Kerry would be President right now.
Much as I’d like to be sure, I’m not sure I believe this “news.” My reasoning is, if this had any substance to it, do I believe Rove wouldn’t have known about it and used it when he was running against Bush? Why would they have made up the crap about the baby
“of color” like they did. I find it hard to believe that he could have kept it quiet enough after the whole Lewinsky debacle. OTOH, the conservative fundies basically still hate McCain and I’m sure they would lie, cheat, steal, and maybe even worse to sabotage his chances. Should be interesting to see how badly this plays out.
Crikey, where is Punaise, FDL’s favorite pun-dit?
“Ms. Iseman” …..
That is just yelling for a comment from Punaise.
Awwww…
I see. Thx for the info. ;0)
Hmmm. I think the answer to the “Why now?” question is coming into focus. Because McCain clammed up, lawyered up, and threatened to sue the shit out of the NYT. The NYT then went out and found a bunch of McCain’s people from that time period, and several of them said, “We all thought he was banging her.” They’re now pretty much immune to a libel lawsuit, because their lawyers can just ask him, “Did any of your aides say it looked like you were banging her?” He’s already refusing to answer that question, so we know what the answer is.
BTW, am I the only one who thinks that describing their relationship as “professional” is a bit of a non-answer? David Vitter’s has had a lot of “professional” relationships with women, too.
that there was either any help for a lobyist that was over the line (or out of the ordinary from favors that lobbyists ask for and get every day) I should have typed.
Yup, a twenty-years-younger Cindy.
Who, when McCain met her three decades ago, apparently looked like a younger, healthier and far, far richer version of his first wife, Carol:
http://www.sptimes.com/News/02…..ed_c.shtml
http://www.raisingkaine.com/sh…..aryId=7389
http://archive.salon.com/mwt/f…..print.html
McCain used Cindy’s money to launch his political career, and hasn’t looked back since.
The McCain thing reminds me of throwing spaghetti against the wall…if it sticks…it’s cooked.
A bit of triviata:
“On The Simpsons TV year, during the episode entitled “Lisa’s First Word” Lincoln Savings & Loan was the topic of a foretelling joke:
Homer (while bent over Lisa’s crib): “I’ve already started you a college fund at Lincoln Savings and Loan.”
Of course, Lincoln Savings & Loan would later fail and the man in charge, Charles Keating, would be sent to prison for fraud.
A good Obama commercial would have Homer at the end of this morphing into McCain, perhaps when he says “I don’t understand economics”. Then a statement “John McCain thinks he’s the guy to get us out of the bankruptcy crisis?” Then back to a picture of Homer going “DUHHHH!”
mostly clear skies here in MA. was just outside. good viewing.
That just frikkin’ creeped me out!! Pattern cheaters.
He was here earlier today.
I just beg to disagree with you here…
There must be an “embargo” on the McCain news…crickets everywhere other than MSNBC.
I checked there too! nothing at LGF either.
The Stray Cock Express.
nobody gets it, I’ve said it now three times
this is a gift from the new york times to the republican party
this vettes mccain, it gets this story in public before his canidacy is a done deal
if it’s damaging, mccain does not win the primaries, it will be either huck or mutt
if it’s not damaging, it is taken away from the democrats as an issue
again;
this is a gift from the new york times to the republican party
FWIW, that’s Cindy McCain, not Cathy.
And Dan Crane (and Gerry Studds, D-MA) were censured for having affairs with pages, not staff members. Although for Crane it was a female page.
right, and doesn’t that speak to the general vulnerability of many, if not MOST, rethugs?
so how’d we GET into this most screwed sitchyashun to begin with?
sheeeeesh!
After learning more about the term scriptkiddie, I will assume to take that at as a compliment. Am I wrong to do so?
A black baby was a bigger scandal to the voters of South Carolina than a white mistress. It also quite possible that Rove knew better than to get into a tit-for-tat with McCain about mistresses.
Script Kiddie
I get it.
so now let’s get predictions;
who becomes the presidential candidate on the republicans side if this does the gary hart to mccain?
is it huck, mutt or (glee), the ghoul?
*gasp* Bill O’Really wins gold, again…!
Dan Crane R-Illinois, we used to have a joke about him bending the pages!
I get it, and furthermore, I get that Edwards is only “suspended” too. “Stay tuned”…
I get it.
November will look nothing like what we are seeing now.
nope!
To those who say there’s no there there, McCain is stonewalling. That’s a big red flag that there’s more to the story. He obviously did favors for her. So I think it’s fair to ask what, if anything, she did for (or to) him. If it wasn’t sex, then it was something else. Mr “Straight Talk” wouldn’t have clammed up and hired a power lawyer if there was nothing to this.
I think for this story to have “legs” there is going to have to be more reporting and digging because if I’m McCain’s camp if this is all the Times can come up with, it’s not enough. I’d expect more stories, and if The Times has more, I don’t understand why they didn’t run with better than this.
I know Drudge had a little on this a while back, but I never go to his site, and I’m not going to waste my time now.
Women who said they saw Vitter regularly from an escort service came out after being paid by Larry Flynt, and then Vitter had the customary “mah wife is standin’ by me” press conference where Vitter corroborated their story.
THAT is soooooooooo true. I actually can’t wait for the Obama/McCain debates. I think Obama will, just as kindly as you please, make mouse mush outa McCain.
Obama has a way of nailing the issue, and sending the opponents arse to HELL, making him thankful for the trip!
Reminds me of how one of Newt Gingrich’s mistresses, Anne Manning, said that Newt insisted on having only oral sex because then he could honestly say that he’d never “slept” with her.
Thanks. Glad to hear the update. Folks here really like him. Chris would not let it go.
After Rather there is NO WAy the Times is going to press with this without being sure.
There were a lot of jokes around MA about the gay Congressman named Studds during that period as well.
r u saying u expect some kind of dirt on obama and hillary to eliminate them both?
or are you saying you think edwards will be the replacement for mccain since he will actually win and they have nobody else that has a chance
For this story to Gary Hart McCain, there is going to have to be more than The Times ran I think. I don’t see anyone touching this from another campaign now.
Having John McCain running for president is like having George W. Bush running for a third term. Good grief Republicans. Get a life. Get a grip. Drop into reality for a little while. But thankyou GOP for giving us Mr. McCain. That should seal Rove’s legacy. Among other more important things.
Yes, this is old news…stuff kept secret because of the whole Bill Clinton-Monica thing. But it’s leaked out…someone in the Pug camp seems to want to vet this now, or stop the nomination.
The problem is that it opens up all of the Keating stuff with Cindy, as well. It portrays him as being willing to do the very stuff with lobbyists and corporate donors that he’s created legislation to oppose. And then there’s all his reverse McCain dismounts where he opposed Bush, then supported him.
Wasn’t there supposed to be one more Senator that Flynt had dirt on? Maybe he has the rest on this story, if there is more.
The larger story should focus on McCain’s ethics. He was bestowing favors for her and not the sexual kind.
He obviously had not been prepared for that question. Tweety sandbagged him. It was really, really nasty. And then to come on today an just rag on it all day was even worse.
This isn’t all they’ve got. It’s what they can print without getting hauled into court by Bob Bennett. HIS OWN STAFF is saying that they thought he was cheating on his wife, and they confronted him about it. McCain himself is refusing to comment on what when on between him and his staff at the time. That looks REALLY bad, and the media is obligated to ask him about it. Mr Straight Talk doesn’t even want to talk about it. That’s enough “legs” for at least a week.
Why is the N.Y. Times couching its conclusions in the past tense?
Are we supposed to think it’s all been put aside? What’s past is past?
Give me a break.
John McCain: Hey baby. It’s Business Time! lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGOohBytKTU
1/8th elcipse about now, anyone have a time when it’s complete?
it’s too cold outside to watch since watching it will prevent it from happening, a al “teh watched pot never boils”
Okay I am WAAAY late to the party, but what company, association, or person does Vicki Iseman represent?
Olbermann talking to Eugene Robinson about Billo. We are liking it.
I’m setting a timer for every ten minutes, then running outside.
which of his “friends” is John “Randy” McCain poking on facebook now?
VICKI ISEMAN
Vicki Iseman, Partner, represents corporate and public clients on issues as diverse as government contracting and regulatory reform. Her experience includes representation of clients before Congress, Federal government agencies and local opinion leaders.
She has extensive experience in telecommunications, representing corporations before the House and Senate Commerce Committees. Her work on the landmark 1992 and 1996 communications bills helped secure cable access for broadcast television stations. Her experience in the communications field includes digital television conversion, satellite regulations and telecommunications ownership provisions.
She has been active in grassroots communications campaigns for clients, building community based support for legislative initiatives. Among others, she participated in the “Keep America Moving” campaign that educated community leaders on the allocation of Federal highway trust funds.
In addition, she has consulted for clients who are interested in government contracting opportunities. She has assisted corporations through the authorization and appropriation process. An active fundraiser, she has organized and participated in many political fundraising events.
A native of Pennsylvania, she holds a B.A. degree in Education from Indiana University in Pennsylvania.
do you have a note?
this thread is just about history by my estimation, soon to be a member of teh “downstairs” catagory
Faux noise breaking story now
the Iseman cometh.
I was on “friends” for a coupla seasons, in teh coffee shop
no kidding
I’m saying that things will change between now and November. I am saying that I believe there is no concrete reality until it is reality. Things are fluid, and they change. Just like tonight. Just like the fact that Rudy is out.
No one can predict the future, because things change. That is my experience. What is reality tonight will not be reality in November. We shall see.
Eclipse map: http://science.nasa.gov/headli…..clipse.htm
Lahoma and I rail against prejudice. Vote Democratic next November. Please.
I guess the wife who is 18 years his junior just doesn’t cut it anymore.
McCain’s campaign is starting to look a little McCrusty.
Totality is around 10:15.
If you’ve been following Rather’s law suit Raven, that’s a pretty interesting story. EW did a post on it a few weeks ago, and Rather has been allowed discovery in his lawsuit against CBS which could flay open a lot of information on what I believe is Bush’s coverup and destruction of his service record. Did you see the story from NY Magazine?
Dan Rather’s Last Big Story Is Himself
Totality begins seconds before 10 p.m. and lasts until 10:51 p.m.
there was sardonic talk of the reason Huckabee is staying in the race: McCain could have a stroke, after all.
this could be Huck’s stroke of good luck.
in that case, I predict in their need to give themselves a chance for a candidate that can win, they nominate john edwards as the unity candidate
Wow, I’m flattered. (See my 28).
You mean, they couldn’t do both? You think if McCain knew anything about Rove or Bush he wouldn’t have used it with or without a tit-for-tat over affairs? I don’t know…Let’s just say, I remain skeptical.
Dan Abrams has received the McCain Baton from KO…! ;-)
Thanks for the link. I try to keep with it because I love draft dodger stories!
My impression was that Flynt has standing offers for dirt on politicians, and when he has something he considers has impact, publicizes it. He might well have more stories–I wouldn’t be suprised.
See JimWhite #28.
*groan* *g*
and three minutes later, teh new post, upstairs
(me polishes fingernails)
uh-oh! I plagiarized….
thank you sir, now I don’t have to freeze these babies off every ten minutes
Sooooooo…. is Bloomberg going to bust a move???
oh, fudge.
should have been:
Fudge.
No. You “were inspired by.” *g*
No. It was pretty obvious to those of us who are demented.
Punaise!
I was calling out for your earlier— read this:
http://firedoglake.com/2008/02…..nt-1286394
Totality begins at 10:01 PM EST and ends at 10:51 PM EST; full moon occurs at 10:31 PM EST.
in that case you will LOVE this link
it is STUNNING
If Huckabee is the best they can run, they are toast even faster.
I am thinking the mutt gets the nod before teh hick
Gettin a little comic relief here with the McBush story…Just saw a bit of video where Mrs. McBush had to pull Mr. McBush onto a speaking platform like a bag of sorry corn.
Pretty fuckin funny- geezer sex!
does anyone remember a story a while ago about bush and candy rice?
rhandi rhodes spoke about it but I doubt it was real
All day at work, every time I pass the break room CNN has been playing his quote about not being decieved by eloquent yet empty promises of change. I had to laugh out loud the first time. That’s pretty much how I feel about Lieberman’s disciple Obama. But the funny part is McCain saying it. What’s he offering, inept promises of keeping the status quo?
Raven – do you mean Phil Crane, Rethug Representative?
Perris, if that’s your idea of a gift, remind me not to exchange presents with you this Christmas. :-)
Let’s see what this story does:
– It pisses off the Fundies and gives them even more leverage in a choice of running mate. Expect him to drop Tim Pawlenty like an old wife in favor of a shiny new model snake-handler.
– It allows us to talk about the circumstances of McCain’s second and current marriage. Namely, how he dumped his first wife Carol for his second wife Cindy.
Carol was the mother of his first three kids, and once was a tall willowy model. But in 1969, while he was in prison overseas, she was crippled by a car accident that took four inches of height from her and gave her in return a lot of pain and a serious weight gain. Ten years later, John McCain met a twenty-five-year-old willowy blond named Cindy Hensley, who had the added advantage of coming from a fabulously wealthy Arizona family — and John needed money for his budding political career. He would divorce Carol in April of 1980, marry Cindy one month later, and be a candidate for Congress by early 1982, with an official residence in the proper Arizona congressional district and plenty of money in the war chest.
Do you think McCain wants us to talk about that? I sure wouldn’t, if I was him. But the NYT story brings it all to the surface.
This was happening BEFORE Bush and Rove were in the WH and had extensive networks of party informants in the Beltway. I suspect that Rove was running, at that time. an essentially Texas style operation. The cheap-shot stuff…like the “black love child” is more down and dirty Texas political smear.
But it may very well be that the Bush-Rove discovery of this stuff was used to “mellow” out “Renegade McCain” during the period in which he was hurling invective at Bush and threatening a counter-campaign in 2004. Many of John’s erstwhile supporters wonder why he suddenly started pulling his punches about that time. Rove using something like this would be just the remedy to a defiant McCain.
This story sounds like it was planted to convince voters (especially men) that McCain still has a pulse. It’s a clumsy way to address concerns about his age. I’m more concerned that he’s losing his mind, particularly when he giggles into the microphone after his own gag lines. Viagra can’t cure that.
what I am saying pw is the new york times knew this story would come out later so they released it now
this is the time to vette mccain, before he is their candidate
believe me, this is a gift to the republican party, if this was released during the general they would be worse then toast, this gives them a chance to regroup
Yes, it was interesting; the real nugget was that St. Laura had moved to a DC hotel. It died down pretty quickly. Sort of grocery store tabloid stuff. Some talk of $$ for Laura to hang around; then she was more out of sight for awhile.
let me add pheonix woman, this is not a gift to mccain, it’s a gift to the republican party
this gives them time to field a candidate that doesn’t have this in the closet
Rush, Ingram and Coulter will be all over this. Hehe
Popcorn time! ; )
Nope, I do believe he means Dan, Phil’s brother, who was also a Rethug Rep from Illinois until he lost his re-election after the censure.
darn it! work interferes with reality once again…
I would not be suprised that they and other print media have more, as with a lot of stories, and I guess time will tell whether if whatever Bob Bennet (if he did) may have used to back them off (I always confuse the two brothers’ names) will trump what they have and digging further turns up.
rush will bolster;
“see?…I TOLD you mccain is not the a concervative“
the man in the black dress will heave;
“I told you I would rather have hillary then mccain“
Eclipse will be here soon west coast sky clear mostly-you go moon
Little soldier salute……….Please-jm
Sean Hannity is covering this story now too, he’s howling the NYT is not fair and Bill Clinton did it too!
Eclipse almost full here in DeeCee.
Sorry, gotta go check it again.
Since McCain has the nomination all but wrapped up and he’s all smiles and then gets this stab in the back it reminds me of a Bush ambush.
Maybe McCain should ask Noriega, Saddam Hussein and some other former Bush friends how it feels and what to do next.
Of course there has to be a sex scandal. There are Republicans involved!
At least he wasn’t involved with a mule. That’s something the Republicans are waiting for once Cuba opens up again to Republican depravity.
So that’s what happened to Vicki Vavoom! We used to pick her up, off San Pablo Ave., Saturday nights after the boys nite out poker game. She was always a lot of fun. Glad to see her doing well…
(kidding)
You rang?
At least McCain isn’t a 73 year-old Senator flying around with a 40 year-old lobbyist.
He’s the Senator who was flying around with a 32 year-old lobbyist – when he was 65.
Bet that kept his rectitude straight.
Seems to me (unless there’s more to the lobbying angle, and whether St. John did favors for her clients) the McCain-wobbles-the-lobbyist saga won’t have much staying power . . .
From the looks of them, McCain was likely the wobblier.
As far as staying power…
what was I saying?
Telecom??? lobbyist??? hello, can you hear me now?
Perris, the lady in question is a lobbyist for CACI. One of the torture contractors at Abu Ghraib.
Remember, John McCain is known for, ahem, speaking out against torture.
Trust me, it’s not a gift for him or for the GOP. They don’t want Huckabee as the nominee, and they’re not going to restart the primaries all over again.
What this does is cripple McCain, weaken him enough for the Fundies to force him to take one of their own as his running mate. And that will cost him at least five percentage points in the general — enough to guarantee a Democratic victory.
Holy now-legal wiretapping, Batman. I wonder how many Ms. Iseman’s or male equivalents they have working for them and how many aging Senators they chum about with.
Admirable! I like it!