Times doesn't Mention if McCain is conservative
Reader: "Times uncovered evidence that McCain's a Republican"
McCain calls Times story a "smear"
John McCain, speaking in Toledo, OH this morning categorically denied the insinuations of yesterday's New York Times story about improper conduct with lobbyist, Vicki Iseman.
"Obviously I'm very disappointed in the article. It's not true," the four-term Arizona senator told a news conference. "At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust or make a decision which in any way would not be in the public interest and would favor any one or any organization."
The Times ran an article yesterday hinted that McCain may have had a romantic affair with Iseman and that members of his staff had been concerned about appearances during the 2000 election.
Absent from the Times story were any assertions that Senator McCain was a "conservative".
McCain described Iseman as a "friend" whom he has seen on "various occasions" in Washington including fund-raisers. "I have many friends in Washington that represent various interests," he said. "I consider her a friend."
McCain did not mention if he thought Iseman was a "conservative".
Over the last three weeks, the media, McCain backers and McCain himself have maintained that the Arizona Senator is a "conservative".
This has brought a sharp response from conservative talk show hosts, conservative groups and others in the conservative cause who have crossed swords with McCain on any host of issues in his Senate tenure.
Newsbusters' Justin McCarthy had this interesting item this morning:
[Correspondent Carl Cameron of Fox News] revealed on the February 21 edition of "Fox and Friends," that Fox News came across these rumors last fall. Cameron stated that they were "unable to substantiate any of it."
In regards to the alleged affair with lobbyist Vicki Iseman, Cameron asserted that they "were able to find precisely nobody who would go on the record or even suggest off the record that there was truth to the suggestion that there had been any sort of an inappropriate personal relationship."
DBKP Political Scandal Library Over 35 stories on scandals involving the 2008 Presidential contenders. Included are DBKP stories and videos on John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama. |
The lengthy Times article was basically two parts: the first part recounted the concerns of former staff members that McCain might be giving the wrong impression by hanging out with a telecom lobbyist--mostly in the 2000 election--and the remainder of the article was background on McCain's involvement, during his first senate term, in the Keating Five Scandal.
One DBKP reader commented that the only proof the Times has been able to produce is "evidence that McCain is a Republican". DBKP has been able to confirm this.
Last evening, after the story starting spreading, Iseman's employer, lobby firm Alcalde & Fay, pulled her bio and picture from it's website.
Both McCain's campaign and Iseman denied any improper conduct.
The New York Times has not yet issued a statement on whether its conduct was improper.
Several sources have begun questioning the timing and motives of the New York Times running what was essentially a background piece they had the information on after McCain's other competitors--save Mike Huckabee--had dropped from the Republican presidential race.
Both of the Times preferred candidates have scandals brewing.
The Times endorsed Barack Obama and McCain recently.
Senator Barack Obama has had allegations from Larry Sinclair over the last month that Sinclair shared sex and drugs with Obama in the back of a limo in 1999 in Gurnee, IL when Obama was an Illinois state representative.
The Times has remained silent on the Obama affair, as has the rest of the Mainstream press.
Sinclair is taking a polygraph test next week and has filed a federal lawsuit against Obama for harassment since Sinclair first made his allegations late last month.
The Times has been silent every aspect of the Sinclair allegations.
Perhaps The New York Times is, as one reader speculated, "holding the Obama material until the Democratic contest is decided--or until it goes away".
by Mondoreb
iamge: file; iview
Sources:
* FNC's Cameron found no substantial evidence in McCain/Iseman
* Today on the Campaign Trail
Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.