2008 John McCain’s Bimbo Eruption
posted by on February 20 at 20:57 PM
NYT:
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, visiting his offices and accompanying him on 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….
The lobbyist, a partner at the firm Alcalde & Fay, represented telecommunications companies for whom Mr. McCain’s commerce committee was pivotal. Her clients contributed tens of thousands of dollars to his campaigns.
Mr. Black said Mr. McCain and Ms. Iseman were friends and nothing more. But in 1999 she began showing up so frequently in his offices and at campaign events that staff members took notice. One recalled asking, “Why is she always around?”.
Here's part of the denial (see Politico for more) from his spokesperson:
"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."
With no comment at all on whether or not he "had sex with that woman."
Why is this important? I don't get it.
I'm all for making millionaire politicians look stupid. Does this make him look stupid?
Did this alleged relationship happen during one of his many marriages? Is that why this is a problem?
Did he say he would never fuck a lobbyist or something?
Not a big deal (or surprise) but there's a technicality that could get him. McCain appears to have defended the interests Iseman worked for.
I guess I understand why this is being reported. It's another fun addition to the Britany-esque coverages of this primary season. Plus, if I were John McCain, I would think this to be a great time to leak the story and hope it gets skipped over in primary coverage, to preempt it becoming a major story in, say, October.
That said, wow, I couldn't care less. This kind of thing would only be interesting to me if he had, say, tried to legislate to execute cheaters or something like that. It's not as if he's even opposed to divorce -- he divorced his 1st wife basically because of midlife crisis, from what I understand.
There was zero chance of him getting my vote before this story, and that hasn't changed. But it wouldn't change my opinion of Clinton (ha!) or Obama either.
(Or maybe the McCainites secretly want the story out there to prove Old Grampa Munster's still gots it goin on?)
At least Monica wasn't a lobbyist. What if Ms. Iseman was working for the Russians or - god forbid - the Islamo-fascist terrorists? Would McCain exhibit similarly poor judgment in the White House?
I did not have sexual relations with that woman. I mean look at my wife, she's freakin hot! Way hotter than Hillary anyway. Plus, everyone knows that I am an asexual robot sent to this planet to spread mediocrity throughout the universe.
Barack might have some competition over which candidate is the worst reincarnation of JFK now.
#3 is correct.
@2: The sex thing isn't an issue for a lot of folks. However, according to Bay Buchanan, the GOP is the party of family values, and they would not have voted for him had they known this in December.
The issue isn't sex. It's none of anyone's business, and it was eight years ago. The issue is favors for lobbyists -- the ethical issue that McCain has run on. It's also the issue of how stable a candidate is when his staff have to intervene in his personal relationships to protect him. Is he his own man?
Does anyone else think Huckabee has found his miracle?
He already released an email to his supporters tonight that emphasizes his family values....
ghostlawns, isn't that like Rev Hutch releasing an email emphasizing his belief in the power of prayer (to do anything)? Not terribly surprising, given.
"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."
Google "Charles Keating" and get back to me on this statement.......
it's okay, he believes in the sanctity of marriage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7DHscURg3E
except his own marriage(s), apparently.
@10
You're absolutely right - it's not the sex, it's the fact that he was played by a young lobbyist hottie. What an old fool.
This is a non-issue. Come back with something important. This is even dumber than the Obama plagerizing non-event!
She's 40 years old?!?
Whoa. Talk about being ridden hard and put away wet...
By the wsy, for those keeping score, that's not sexist, it's ageist.
John McCain is really old too, and has cheeks like a giant hampchester.
@18
The cheeks? That's the botox.
While we're judging him based upon his family values, how about abandoning your first wife (the one who waited while you were a P.O.W.) and then when you get back... well, let's hear it from Grampa Munster himself:
During their time in Jacksonville, the McCains' marriage began to falter. McCain had extramarital affairs, and he would later say, "My marriage's collapse was attributable to my own selfishness and immaturity more than it was to Vietnam, and I cannot escape blame by pointing a finger at the war. The blame was entirely mine." (From wikipedia)
@19,
I thought it was silicone.
So she got preggers too?
Jim (@6) and Fnarf (@10) have undoutedly hit on the Democrat's party line for why its okay to use this against him: it's not about sex, it's about integrity. Now where have I heard that argument before?
You have to imagine that the leaders of the Republican party are in tears, thankful that they have a sex scandal that's of the straight variety for a change. Ya know, just sayin'.
@17 "She's 40 years old?!?"
She's 40 *now*. This stuff supposedly happened about 8 years ago though. So McCain was roughly 63 and she was roughly 32.
(And Cindy McCain is about 54 now and thus was around 46 during the lobby girl stuff.)
McCain can be attracted to God's female Jack Nicholson if he feels like it, right?
Wonder if she has a blue dress in her closet?
Man, why would you even become a politician if not to bone hot young opportunists?
Who said lobbyists are prostitutes?
Judging from the pics, I'd have put her in her early 50s....
This is further proof that John McCain is not a true conservative. The NYT didn't even mention sex with young boys once in that entire article.
Yawn. This story has no legs, especially considering the how the 42nd President got away with far more depraved assignations.
Actually, the 42nd President got impeached for those assignations.
Although he most certainly got off, in the end.
The Republicans turning the other cheeck while McCain bones a corporate lobbyist in a borrowed business jet sets a dangerous double-standard, don't you think?
And if there's anything a Conservative cannot abide, it is a double-standard.....
Retroactive edit: "cheek"
The NYT has been working on this story for several weeks. You'd think that it would cause them pause not to endorse McCain for the New York primary, but they went ahead and endorsed him. Odd.
It's probably a principled approach, Raindrop.
See, McCain flew around in his lobbyist mistress' corporate jet at private expense.
Giuliani had his mistress driven around by the New York police at the taxpayer's expense.
Which Republican candidate shows more commitment to cutting government spending?
Grandpa! You old dog.
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