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Letters
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 12:00 AM

NYT breaks long-rumored story on possible relationship between McCain, lobbyist

Two months after the paper was first reported to be working on a story, the New York Times publishes its account of John McCain's ties to Vicki Iseman.

The letters thread is now closed.

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Thursday, February 21, 2008 02:59 PM

Iseman's email address in flux on Alcalde bio page

Last night when I posted the URL for her bio page:

http://www.alcalde-fay.com/meet_the_firm/BiosDetail.cfm?id=84

her email address at right (below the picture) was shown as *private*, while now it's shown as v.iseman@alcalde-fay.com. But the really interesting thing is that for every other person at the firm (at least the ones I've spot-checked, and excepting those who share a last name, such as Messrs. Alcalde), their last name is their email address. So I'd guess anything not sent to iseman@alcalde-fay.com gets routed to her spam filter. Not that I'm suggesting you add her to your Democratic mailing lists or anything...

Thursday, February 21, 2008 01:02 PM

I'm looking forward

to an extensive national discussion on the long-term effects of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrom on torture victims and the risks inherent in putting such a victim in charge of the world's largest nuclear arsenal.

Thursday, February 21, 2008 10:45 AM

the illegitimate baby story

Back in 2000 when the whispering campaign was waged again McCain in the run up to the South Carolina primary, we always assumed stories of an "illegitimate brown baby" were in reference to his adopted Bangladeshi child. But maybe McCain has fathered actual illegitimate brown babies - perhaps some that have gone on to grow up and cross our porous borders, take our jobs, and plot terrorist attacks against us on our own soil.

When McCain started cozying up to Bush a few years ago, I took it as a tacit admission that the whispering campaign was true. After all, a principled man wouldn't be so friendly to someone whose campaign made up damaging lies about him...

Thursday, February 21, 2008 09:57 AM

Republicans: The Party of "Shameful" Values and Poor Judgment

America has awakened to the fact that the party that has claimed to be the party of "values" is not. In Wisconsin, more people voted for Obama alone than all the votes cast for all Republican candidates...it seems only logical that all these votes are not just Democrats going out and voting, but former Republicans, who actually do care about decency, switching parties after an endless litany over many years of illegal and immoral behavior by their Republican leaders: Mark Foley...Senator Craig...Tom Delay...Newt Gingrich...Scooter Libby...and all the Republicans responsible for a trillon dollar, cruel, immoral, endless war at the same times our bridges and school are tumbling down...we all know the list goes on and on.

And now McCain...another lobbyist pawn. Is this the best the Repbulicans can offer? Its sad to see an Americna War hero who was a war prisoner himself, drown in his own hypocrisy and advocate torture as okay on behalf of the American people, people who are decent and who are awakening to the fact that they have been deceived, and worse, are held in such low regard and contempt by men like McCain who think that the American people are stupid and will continue to believe their empty rhetoric. And then McCain has the gall to belittle others who believe that America can and should be better.

The McCain debachle may be the last straw for decent Republicans who have just witnessed the poor judgment of their leaders, including two Presidents who have endorsed him. There was the hope of Senator Allen of Virginia...but we all remember his poor judgment as well.

I find it interesting that McCains wife is so proud of her country, a country where its leaders, like her husband, deceive the good people of this county with their words while betraying them with their actions.

God help us.

Thursday, February 21, 2008 09:51 AM

Payback's

a bitch.

Thursday, February 21, 2008 09:25 AM

Republicans are from Bizarro world

So John Straight Talk Express McCain has finally reconciled his bizarro persona as so many of his fellows before him have.

Bizarro McCain Says: I don't like lobbyist and they have to much influence in Washington. I have worked to curtail their power. Thats the straight talk.

Real McCains actions: Intervening on the part of a telecom to acquire another business (after receiving substantial donations to his 2000 presidential run from this telecom (cant remember the name right now) and member of the Keating 5.

The GOP apparently stands for the opposite of everything they say when it comes to principles and "family values".

Thursday, February 21, 2008 09:14 AM

@ moira kelly

"...take a hard look at the others who left McCain's campaign last year."

This definitely puts the McCain "campaign shake-up" in a wholly different light. Of course, it may also open the sources/critics up to the whole sour grapes charge.

Thursday, February 21, 2008 08:57 AM

So here's the question...

If the lobbyist got no special treatment, why isn't it that a very different story? I mean it suggest fraud...she charged her clients do get McCain and his Committee to behave in a certain way, and he says he didn't do anthing special. Why did they pay her?

Thursday, February 21, 2008 08:47 AM

What McCain Said

"Mr. McCain, 71, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 40, both say they never had a romantic relationship."

In other words, they just had sex.

Thursday, February 21, 2008 08:34 AM

Stepford Wife

McCain is always followed around by that creepy too-young bottle blonde Stepford wife of his, tipping slightly due to her height. I assume we will have a warm fuzzy moment where she will stand by her man pretty soon.

In bed with lobbyists. I like that.

Thursday, February 21, 2008 07:57 AM

The Crux of the article lies here in the fourth paragraph:

"Mr. McCain, 71, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 40, both say they never had a romantic relationship. But to his advisers, even the appearance of a close bond with a lobbyist whose clients often had business before the Senate committee Mr. McCain led threatened the story of redemption and rectitude that defined his political identity."

Regardless of whether they had a romantic relationship, the close ties to a lobbyist tarnishes his image a bit.

Thursday, February 21, 2008 07:56 AM

@alan lloyd,

it has been common knowledge for years that McCain was a serial skirt chaser, especially for young blonds. The conservative bloggers have known, and have kept silent.

I'm willing to bet that tonight, on the Crap Not News network, the same talking heads that have been sucking McCain's straight talk express cock, will now be saying that they knew all along. And they did.

By the way, does anyone remember Bob Livingston? He was going to take Gingrich's place as speaker of the house, but it came out that he had been dicking female lobbyists who had business in front of his committee. He was gone in less than 48 hours.

Anyone know where Mitt Romney is??

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