Two months after it was first rumored and caused a huge splash on the Drudge Report, the New York Times has released its story on Sen. John McCain and his relationship with a female lobbyist three decades his junior.
In its story, running in Thursday's papers and posted Wednesday night on the Web, the Times does not assert there was a romantic relationship. However, it cites McCain's personal ties to the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, to indicate that the Arizona senator — who has become synonymous with challenging Washington to clean itself up — has himself stepped over the line.
The story rehashes McCain's past problems with ethics rules, but there's no hard-and-fast evidence of new violations — only a lot of suggestion that there's something fishy going on.
Remember, of course, that this comes less than a month after that very same paper endorsed McCain as the best Republican in the race — a choice it called "an easy one."
There will be plenty of questions about the Times, which by its own accounting in the story was hard at work in December, when McCain had yet to grab a stranglehold on the Republican presidential nomination. Some Republicans opposing McCain are bound to question that decision as an effort to choose, then weaken, their candidate.
For its part, the McCain camp is not amused. Spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker released this statement soon after the article was posted on the Times Web site tonight:
"It is a shame that the New York Times has lowered its standards to engage in a hit and run smear campaign. 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.
"Americans are sick and tired of this kind of gutter politics, and there is nothing in this story to suggest that John McCain has ever violated the principles that have guided his career."
— Stephen Dinan, national political reporter, The Washington Times
Comments (6)
Look, this is so predictable it's hard to even get riled up about this. Of course the press was going to turn on McCain as soon as he got the nomination. Now, is this a solid story? Who knows. But this is going to be the first of many, many shots that the media takes at McCain. I've got an idea. Count how many times the NYT mentioned the Keating 5 in stories before Super Tuesday. Now get ready to count the number of Keating 5 mentions in a comparable time period post-Super Tuesday. Well, when you let the media pick your candidates for you, Republicans, that's what you're going to get.
Posted by D. | February 20, 2008 11:42 PM
The NYT is no longer the news icon it was in the past. It's power in the media has been diffused by the internet and a dogmatic clinging to liberal agendas. It's like the Congress under Reid and Pelosi's leadership. A lot of hearings and commissions to support resolutions that don't mean anything because they have no substance. The one time they agreed with the president, no one consulted the American people (immigration). The NYT writes stories on investigations that have a lot heresay and innuendo but not substance, trying to initiate a trial by public opinion. I think this is called creating the news instead of reporting it.
Posted by Larry Stone | February 21, 2008 2:42 AM
Americans are sick and tired of this kind of gutter politics.
I'm not sick of it. Republicans won't let Bill Clinton"s affair die.
Were talking about family values..Of course most republicans like to have one wife and one girlfriend, jast ask Newt or Larry Craig..oops
Posted by Larry Dell | February 21, 2008 8:28 AM
These types of stories and smear campaigns by a so called NEWS outlet is another reason to line a bird cage with the publication.Journalism in this country is a discrace, almost as bad a the Legal profession..
Posted by Bob Dillon | February 21, 2008 8:58 AM
Sigh...I used to have great respect for the N.Y. Times but in the past 5-6 years in particular they have sacrified quality objective journalism for an agenda-driven soap box in many cases. They are still my main source for non-politically oriented news but that's where it ends. What a shame they've fallen into the same tabloid mentality that has come to plague the media over the past decade or two.
Posted by Brian Ludwig | February 21, 2008 3:45 PM
If Americans were sick of gutter politics, the NYT would be completely out of business and Desperate Housewives would be off the air. This is a revenge article pure and simple. As long as the media continue to create the news, this will continue.
Posted by Larry Stone | February 22, 2008 2:02 AM