The New York Times published a story in today’s paper implying two things about John McCain:
- Members of McCain’s campaign staff do not have the greatest confidence in his ethics.
- McCain may have shown favoritism to contributing lobbyists; one in particular, 40-year-old Vicki Iseman, may have had an affair, though they both deny any romantic relationship.
Speaking from Toledo, Ohio, this morning at 9 a.m., McCain held a press conference defending his ethics and friendship with Iseman. He also denies ever showing favoritism:
“I’ve never done any favors for anybody – lobbyist or special-interest group. That’s a clear, 24-year record.”
The story seems to have struck a chord in various media outlets. Many questioning the timing of the story, which allegedly was under wraps since before the New Hampshire primaries in December 2007.
The New York Daily News says of the story:
Tale’s tall on innuendo, short on proof
Real Clear Politics makes the case that the story could help bridge the gap between McCain and the conservatives who oppose his candidacy:
For weeks there’s been speculation about how John McCain could possibly convince his party’s right wing to rally around him. The New York Times may have helped him take a giant step in that direction.
McCain dealt with controversy years ago, as he wrote about in a 2002 memoir, “Worth the Fighting For.” In 1989, he and the rest of what came to be known as the “Keating Five” sat down for two private meetings with regulators to ease up their pressure on Ms. Iseman’s employer at the time, Charles Keating, who ran his company, Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, into bankruptcy. The scandal eventually sent Keating to prison, ended the careers of three senators in Keating Five and McCain was reprimanded for “poor judgment” but was re-elected the next year.
Whether or not The Times should have gone public with their story at this point is irrelevant. The story is printed, run, so now McCain should let the spin doctors of his campaign handle it. If is truly innocent of any unruly dealings with Mr. Iseman — he said so this morning at his press conference — he should just keep on moving past this. The story will help McCain more than it will hurt him. Conservatives will rally around McCain now, where they were divisive and unruly before, and give him the support he’s been lacking.
The New Republic makes a great point by highlighting one of the most damaging parts of this story — where a campaign adviser, John Weaver, is quoted, saying he had to pull Ms. Iseman aside and tell her to keep away:
“Our political messaging during that time period centered around taking on the special interests and placing the nation’s interests before either personal or special interest,” Mr. Weaver continued. “Ms. Iseman’s involvement in the campaign, it was felt by us, could undermine that effort.”
Although the story reads much like a piece just highlighting a few shady moments of McCain’s political career, this particular point looks to hurt him most. Not just that a source in the story is from within his circle; but more so that focus gets placed back on how he has gone through a number of staff shake-ups — remember last year when his campaign dropped two main aides and seemed to be out of juice? — so if he (or Hillary Clinton for that matter) were to be elected president, shouldn’t we be concerned with his choice in loyalty? Wouldn’t he go in with a syndrome of not trusting those around him, because he may fear another uprising or backlash from within his own advisers? I think this is a legitimate concern voters should consider.
For as much as media outlets are accusing The Times of wanting to muddy McCain name, less than a month ago they endorsed him in the Republican race, and Hillary Clinton in the Democratic race. Why would they do a complete 180? Accusations baffle the mind but, nevertheless, any accusation of broken ethics and wedding vows ends up on the tip of every news outlet. If this story existed at all, no matter how long it took to check sources or get a viable piece of the puzzle together, they were going to tell it. It’s up to McCain to defend himself and voters to decide whether they believe him or not.
