McCain Restricts Medical Records: Limited Access To Reporters, NYT Not Allowed

John McCain is scheduled to release 400 pages of medical records this Friday, after having promised to release the records for more than a year. Doing so on the Friday before Memorial Day makes this look like a classic document dump. To make matters even more controlled, McCain will only allow a limited number of media outlets to view the records. Notably absent from the list is the New York Times. Could this have anything to do with wrote the paper's controversial article about McCain's ties to lobbyist Vicki Iseman? The Washington Times reports on who will get to see McCain's medical records:

The McCain campaign has selected a handful of news organizations to review the records today in a conference room at the Copper Wynd Resort in Fountain Hills, Ariz., near the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale.

Reporters from all five major news networks -- CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN and Fox -- will be allowed to take notes from the records, as will wire reporters from the Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg news agencies. Just two print newspapers will be among the pool: The Washington Post and the Arizona Republic.

McCain campaign officials said yesterday that the high level of interest in the records meant they had to limit access by reporters

Update: Politico's Michael Calderone reports that the New York Times requested, but was denied, access to McCain's medical records:

"When we learned of the arrangements for the release this week, we made a number of very specific requests to be included and they turned us down," said Times political editor Richard Stevenson.

Asked about whether the aforementioned incidents have strained relations, and could be a factor, Stevenson said, "We've gone about doing our jobs the way we always do."

Stevenson added that the Times has requested medical records "for a very long time, predating the arrangements of this particular release."

Comments

[thecanadian]

While everyone respects the fact that he was a Prisoner of War, why is he a War Hero? There are many many brave men who were Prisoners of War so could someone explain why he is considered a hero? What did he do to be one? (Other than being a prisoner along with many others)?
Seriously - Can someone explain this for us?

[reece2076]

I've wondered the same thing for a long time myself. I thought a hero was someone who saved lives and did heroic things. Not someone who got shot down and captured by the enemy. If McCain is a war hero then so is Jessica Lynch the female soldier who was captured and later rescued by other soldiers (who I would consider the real heroes in this case).

[AndreaDoria]

Being a son of an admiral, North Vietnam offered to release him earlier than the other prisoners. He refused. And got the hell beaten out of him for his troubles. But I guess that isn't heroic.

[jukesgrrl]

So, we're on to a new story ... but I haven't finished the old story. WHERE IS VICKI ISEMAN? Why won't she speak for herself? I don't give a rat's ass with whom she sleeps. I want to know where she gets her bankroll and why. It's complete garbage the way the Times capitulated when the Republicans turned this into a story about whether or not Iseman and McCain were lovers. That's not important. The part about influence-peddling is the story and the media allowed Cindy McCain to just sweep that aside in order to protect her "honor" (as if she had any, being an adulterer herself).

How does a person with a minor degree from a minor college become a principal in a major lobbying firm and, in just a few years, get the kind of entree she had to major political players? How and why did she become "close" to John McCain? How has she amassed enough money to just disappear when her firm decides she's become a liability? Has she been gagged or has she done something so terrible she won't even come forward to defend herself? How can Americans vote for McCain when he hides so many aspects of his life ... his associations, his finances, and now his health?

The Iseman story needs to be investigated further. I nominate Dan Rather. He lost his job over a story that was released prematurely and then cut down, even when it was possibly true.

[KeysDan]

Thank you jukesgrrl, there is likely to be much more to the Vicki Iseman story than the limited revelations to date. It is interesting that the NYT became so intimidated so soon as to drop all aspects of their story. The mistress aspect, while irrelevant as a private matter, may have implications in the public arena. The retribution continues for the NYT as it is denied access to medical records. A lot of smoke here, a lot of fire likely.

[MizLiz]

We need someone with a photographic memory to read this stuff and then transcribe it for everybody.

[KarateKid]

Believe me, I'm not a fan of McCain, but God, why on earth would anyone want to be President? What a gauntlet they all have to run. The ego must be massive, or their masochistic streak unbelievable.

[JhNyc]

Does anyone qualified to review medical records get to see them?

[pithymaxim]

Cheney....­Rove...hey­, the candidate's brain must be vetted...i­t must be sufficiently atrophied to allow him to serve as a corporate puppet...

[thecanadian]

Yes. CNN Dr.

[booksnmore4you]

A Republican, he is.

[JadedAggie]

So wait it's 400 pages of records shared between 10 news agencies for an undisclosed amount of time. If they were intelligent the 8 of them that are not completely in the tank for McCain would share notes and review separate pages. Between 8 groups they would only have to review 50 pages each, which is the only real shot they have to get any idea of what's in the records. Fox news and the Arizona paper are obviously just going to be taking notes about how John McCain is like a 25 year old.

[Sylmason]

McCain has a brain problem...­..........­...... Bush knows it, the other republican's know it, and they are very distraught with having McCain. This crazy man might wake up one day and blow the whole world up. Wake up stupid republican­s.........­..........­..... you must want a world for your children and grandchildren to grow up in. Don't believe everything you hear. That's why the educated people favor Obama.....­..........­....... they read, reserach, self-thinkers, etc..... stop listening to limbaugh and hannity...­..........­.......tho­se guys are crazy.

[pithymaxim]

Don't you know? The Republicans want to die, they hope and pray the world ends...so they can singularly ascend into the smog-filled sky and enjoy the Rapture...

[JulieSA]

Sorry, but I think you think you have a brain problem. Your comment makes little sense.

[researcher]

come on vote for this guy he has promised to fix everything wrong in america by 2013.

the guy is a joke now here is the real joke almost half of americans say they will vote for this guy. that is the real joke not him.

he could not even get through flight school without his big shot in the navy dad's help.

no country deserves mc war more than we americans for supporting a mega industrial military complex for over six decadesand for killing over one million vietnamese.

karma time in america.

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnN20327333.html

we are ranked 97 of 140 on peace. ie war mongers.

[ProfessorDuh]

McBush is not "releasing" anything. The dirty little liar is playing a shell game.

[Grannysue]

Me thinks I smell a cover up!

[Scarllatti]

Hey guys. Go to any medical website and read about MELANOMA. You do not need this stage-managed medical record McCain will dump on a selected media outfits on friday just before Memorial Day. IT IS A DEADLY DISEASE WHICH DOES NOT EVEN NEED TO BE OBVIOUS TO METASTASIZE TO ALMOST EVERY ORGAN IN THE BODY, INCLUDING THE BRAIN. That could even explain some of the senior moments we have been noticing in McCain's behavior.
McCain wants to DIE in office as a president so that he will be given a state burial which he does not deserve

[sanywhere]

he does not want to "die in office,...­.so that he will be given a state burial..."­. that is just made up and out of line. i don't want this guy either, but stop with the low blows and lies.

[booksnmore4you]

That's over the top.

[gonavy]

Oh no, keep it up. You can be more creative than that. This political season YOU are going to be the poster child for your party. Don't you feel special now?

[kravitz]

Rosenthal made the paper endorse Lieberman.­..I mean McCain. So today we learned even the Times will hide an anti-semite. It didn't report on Hagee the way it should have. So today we learn McCain thinks nothing of the Times endorsemen­t...or Rosenthal. And today, we have crochety old McCricketyCain calling Obama a young man. Who looks oddly like his white grandfather, by the way.

McCain, with Teddy Kennedy, an icon endorsing Obama, probably leaving the senate...a­nd he's not much older than you...this means people will really be asking about McCain's health. And here we have a veil, a denial, a hope people stay stupid and just believe what comes out of your mouth....

[PuppaX]

Isn't he the "more openness in government" guy?

[helonias]

What about that alien gestating in his cheek

[bigironal25]

It's probably a baby Lieberman!

[LazarusLong]

This is total BS. Releasing records means releasing records, not flashing them in front of a few eyes for a brief moment.

[LiberalBuzz]

Hiding something.

[Scarllatti]

JOHN McCAIN IS MOSTLY DEAD. HE IS JUST HANGING ON TO LIFE.