SCANDAL, ONCE AGAIN, TAINTS JOHN McCAIN?
UPDATE: 02-21-08 One Citizen Speaking follow-up post
IS THE NEW YORK TIMES MANUFACTURING A McCAIN NON-SCANDAL?
UPDATE: 02-20-08 (5:04 PST) Matt Drudge is reporting ...
"Months later, NY TIMES set to launch results of its McCain investigation of senator's relationships with lobbyists... Developing Late..."
UPDATE: Together again...
According to the Washington Post...McCain Says Allegations That He Did Favors for D.C. Lobbyist Are Untrue
"It is unfortunate that rumor and gossip enter into political campaigns," said the statement from Jill Hazelbaker, the campaign's communications director. "John McCain has a 24-year record of serving this 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 important issues facing our country."
Hires top-notch Washington lawyer, Bill Bennett, to negotiate with the New York Times...
Bennett represented President Bill Clinton during the impeachment investigation mounted by Congress. In 1989, Bennett was special counsel to a Senate ethics committee probe of five senators, including McCain, over their ties to convicted savings-and-loan executive Charles Keating. The panel concluded that McCain used poor judgment in interceding with banking regulators on Keating's behalf, but that no punishment was warranted.
Original story...
According to a developing story on the Drudge Report, John McCain may be involved in another scandal involving special interests. While John McCain may be decrying the "suspicious timing" of a report which may link him to impropriety, given his past history of scandal and back-room deals, I say it is better we learn the truth NOW rather than later.
MEDIA FIREWORKS: MCCAIN PLEADS WITH NY TIMES TO SPIKE STORY
"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 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.
Rutenberg, along with reporter David Kirkpatrick, has been developing the story for the last 6 weeks. "
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME McCAIN has been questioned on his ethics...
According to Wikipedia...
"The Keating Five (or Keating Five Scandal) refers to a Congressional scandal related to the collapse of most of the Savings and Loan institutions in the United States in the late 1980s."
"In 1989, the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association of Irvine, Calif., collapsed. Lincoln's chairman, Charles H. Keating Jr., was faulted for the thrift's failure. Keating, however, told the House Banking Committee that the FHLBB and its former chief Edwin J. Gray were pursuing a vendetta against him. Gray testified that several U.S. senators had approached him and requested that he ease off on the Lincoln investigation. It came out that these senators had been beneficiaries of $1.3 million (collective total) in campaign contributions from Keating."
"This allegation set off a series of investigations by the California government, the United States Department of Justice, and the Senate Ethics Committee. The ethics committee's investigation focused on five senators: Alan Cranston (D-CA); Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ); John Glenn (D-OH); John McCain (R-AZ); and Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (D-MI), who became known as the Keating Five."
"After months of testimony revealed that all five senators acted improperly to differing degrees, the senators continually said they were following the status quo of campaign funding practices. In August 1991, the committee concluded that Cranston, DeConcini, and Riegle's conduct constituted substantial interference with the FHLBB's enforcement efforts and that they had done so at the behest of Charles Keating. The committee recommended censure for Cranston and criticized the other four for "questionable conduct."
Campaign Finance Legislative Failure...
"McCain also remained in the Senate and he made campaign finance reform a key legislative interest. Substantial campaign finance reform was not passed until the adoption of the McCain-Feingold Act."
The impact of the poorly-crafted McCain-Feingold Act has given power to lobbyists and others who use its provisions to raise almost unlimited and untraceable amounts of money using special tax-exempt entitites known as 527s after their IRS tax code section. This has made people like far-left weirdo George Soros major players in democratic campaigns and the plan to defeat the Bush Administration.
Kennedy-McCain SHAMnesty Act
McCain was also a key player in a secret backroom deal (apparently the type he favors) with the democrats to craft the Kennedy-McCain SHAMnesty legislation which would have subverted the sovereignty of the United States and furthered the destruction of our healthcare, education, retirement, law enforcement and social benefits infrastructure in ways that are still affecting legislation and government programs.
Google claims approximately 360,000 hits on "John McCain Scandal"...
What can YOU do?
For whatever motives, thank the media for attempting to expose scandal-tainted politicians who may decide to sell-out their nation's interests for a few bucks.
Even if McCain is found not-guilty of improper conduct, his past legislative efforts in McCain-Feingold and McCain-Kennedy should mark him as someone who is not a clear thinker and prone to allow the secret crafting of legislation with negative unintended consequences.
Do not vote for any candidate or current politician who is willing to subvert the safety, security, sovereignty and economic strength of the United States or limit an individual's right of self-defense for personal power, prestige or profits.
-- steve
Quote of the Day: Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offense. --Marcus Tullius Cicero
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