The Questions for Perot about McCain and Gambling

Yesterday's New York Times front-page investigative story about John McCain's long time ties to the nation's gambling industry ("For McCain and Team, a Host of Ties to Gambling"), jogged my memory about an unsettling bit of information I was given by Ross Perot in 1995.

In November 1995, my wife and fellow author, Trisha, and I, interviewed Perot for several days for an unauthorized biography (Citizen Perot: His Life & Times, Random House, 1996). During one of our conversations, outside of the 'on the record' taped interviews, Perot discussed with us how he had utilized private investigators to uncover information about other people. Perot never used, from what I could determine, any of the personal details he assembled about others. Rather, he was merely a collector of information, never knowing when it might come in useful.

I discussed this with my editor, Bob Loomis. Without independent reporting, much of it was no more than informed gossip. Perot had passed along personal details about Barbara Walters family, Clinton chief of staff Leon Penneta, and business tycoon Peter Ueberroth, someone Perot had seriously considered as a vice-presidential candidate in his own 1992 presidential run.

From our interviews with Perot about the Vietnam POW/MIA issue, it was clear there was no love lost between Perot and a number of public officials who opposed his efforts to keep looking for soldiers he believed had been left behind and were alive. On Perot's most disliked list was George Herbert Bush, who as Reagan's vice-president had shut the door to any further government probe on the matter. Richard Armitage, George W. Bush's ex-deputy Secretary of State, had earned Perot's eternal animosity because of his conclusion that there were no MIAs left in Southeast Asia. And the final person to earn Perot's enmity was John McCain, who as a decorated war hero, and then Senator, had also closed the door to any further MIA investigations.

Bob Loomis and I decided that I should not report Perot's personal details about these men and women, with two exceptions. Regarding Ueberroth, I wrote in Citizen Perot that one Perot campaign insider had concluded that "Ueberroth was the perfect match," but that "Perot and Mort Meyerson (Perot's top business executive at EDS) personally made inquiries about him and eventually opted for a stand-in candidate."

And as for Armitage, Perot's information was so detailed, including even surveillance photos of Armitage in supposedly compromising situations, I did report it. And Armitage was generous in giving me extensive interviews that helped explain the background and put into context Perot's one man war on him.

I am only reporting now Perot's rumor/information about McCain because of today's New York Times story. Perot told me that McCain had a gambling problem and he had uncovered details that McCain was bailed out in the late 1980s from a big gambling debt by his wife, Cindy.

If true, it raises a question as to whether McCain's gambling might ever have put him in a situation where he was pressed to repay his debt through Senatorial favors.

An enterprising reporter has to ask Ross Perot if he will acknowledge what he shared with me 14 years ago, and if so, if he will now provide the evidence to back up the assertion. Perot hasn't talked to me since I published my unauthorized biography, so unfortunately, I am not the person to ask. And some reporter should ask McCain, directly, if he has ever had a gambling debt that his wife had to pay off. American voters have a right to know.

Comments

[brizzle]

Senator McCain, may I ask a question?

Have you ever had a gambling debt paid that your wife paid off?

Haha...I'm guessing this one won't be spilling from the lips of Sean Hannity, eh??

C'mon, HuffPosters! Someone ask this question!!

[BetterDeadthanRedState]

He gambled on Sarah Palin and crapped out.

[mpope]

I am not surprised to hear that McCain is a gambler. It fits the acttions we see from him as a candidate. However, I do not really feel comfortable about investigating this. It feels like the old style politics of just digging up dirt. It might prove tto be a necessary evil by the time this campaign is over, but for now, would like to see if Obama can when this with ideas and vision as much as possible. The more he is able to succeed in that way, the better the chances that those old tactics will become discredited, and the new politics can begin to be accepted.

This is an awkward time in our history when something new is struggling to be born while something old is struggling to stay alive. So the new tactics are viewed according to the old criteria. So Obama is weak because he doesn't run a negative campaign, or 'loses' the debate because he allows McCain to attack him. And the because the media are using those old criteria, they actually help to perpetuate what we most hate in our politics by crticizing Obama for not playing according to the old rules.

OF course, the point is to win, and we need to make sure Obama does that. But the more we can get away with doing it in a way that is aligned with our best principles, the more we deepen the impact of this historic, revolutionary campaign..­.

[Frannyvida]

Good in theory, but won't work. If you think McCain has gotten nasty, you aint seen nothin yet. I have forced myself to check in on fox and they are as racist as ever, but they're not afraid to pull the plug. They will get nastier and nastier. We can't hold back when they do.

[Pattycakes90]

I'm not a bit surprised at the notion that McCain might have been a gambler. Look who he chose as his running mate?

[fignozzle]

the more i know about mccain the scarier he becomes.
but seriously, just watching the clips in which mccain is the star, right here at huff po is all anyone should need to be terrified of his "rule".

he, along with bush, would have preferred to be dictators.

obama/biden 08!!!!

[CeciliaBertrand]

Gambling and Senatorial favors to pay off gambling debts - that about sizes up McCain. Trying to figure out why he does the things he does is over - His life stor;y; trading wives for the rich one, why lobbyists run him and his campaign, and so it goes.

[Alvin4NY]

....and still he crawled up from last place because the rest of the Republican candidates were even worse. He's been a sell out from day one, loyal to nothing.

[thecanadian]

Except himself.

[littlepitcher]

Details in the NY Times article concerning a person of influence in the Las Vegas gambling scene make me suspect a connection between the Mississippi Yugoslav Mafia's gambling interests and Las Vegas. Note that McCain's antecedents are from Mississippi.

Do read Edward Humes' excellent book "Mississippi Mud", for more information on Dixie Mafia involvement in that state's illegal casinos, on the FBI's reluctance to prosecute that case, and on one FBI agent's attempt to clear the name of a convicted political assassin who is a Grassy Knoll suspect and who was, at one time, in the FBI witness protection program despite rape, multiple murders, and methamphetamine quantity dealing.

Any involvement with organized gambling by McCain should be a disqualifier. Note William Bennett's self-appointed position as a maven of morality and his actual slavery to casinos.

Vote "None of the Above" on a write-in ballot and send the parties a message that America deserves better than they are serving us.

[irishgawdess]

Compromising situations just seem to follow McCain around. Can't wait to see if this story holds any water.

[14U]

To the people THAT THINK I like mccain, I Don't! I just thought that you do something illegal, Bust him, DON'T BRING IT UP AFTER30 YEARS, bring them up on charges NOW!!, DON"T just bring it up to get YOUR GUY / GAL in office. As I said they brought up about KERRY then you don't hear anything. MYpoint is DEAL with the ISSUES !! MCCAIN IS NOT MY CHOISE! AND OBAMA WELL when he GETS to be PRESIDENT AND RAISES TAXES, - - He won't do that , RIGHT? The change, he is talking about- - I hope It's what YOU think it is, and what WE all can live with!!

[brentz]

To the person said "who cares what happened thirty years ago? The problem is these old senators love to bring up the past about their opponents. so what is good for the goose.....­.And Mr. John Mc Christian is not such a nice guy,-- Mr . Oh So Holy! In fact it seems like the man has quite a temper, and quite a mean streak..
I really do not think that his compulsive habits are a good thing to overlook. In fact watching Senator McCain lie on TV- and on videos, losing his temper, and his "one way only -the John Mcain way" tatics, I would fear for the United States, and the World. Peace is not in McCain's destiny-

[Herkybird]

You are right on brentz! Even as a life long Democrat I used to like Mcain 30 years ago. WHY? I know you are wondering. Because I too am a Vietnam vet. There was a time when we could rely on McCain to get bills passed that benefited Nam vets. After all who is going to question a POW's thoughts on the war? The veterans themselves­...that's who! I think my blood pressure shot up above 200 when these words came out of McCains mouth at the end of the debate last week:

"As far as our other issues that he( Obama) brought up are concerned, I know the veterans. I know them well. And I know that they know that I'll take care of them. And I've been proud of their support and their recognition of my service to the veterans." "And I love them. And I'll take care of them. And they know that I'll take care of them. And that's going to be my job."

Well here is the truth and as any good journalist will tell you it's always nice to have proof. Go to
http://vetvoice.com. Then copy and paste showDiary.doo;jsessionid=3C686EC29415BC0B49E8E9D8EEF030DE?diaryId=1957

There you will learn how much McCain loves our middle east vets. So much so that he has voted 29 times in the past 4 years to cut VA funding. Does McCain have a gambling problem? I don't know. But at this point anything is possible.

[thecanadian]

From the Veterans THE FACTS about McCain.

If you care about our veterans and this country of ours...

...Don't vote for John McCain.

McCain voted against our troops MANY times in the senate.

John McCain voted AGAINST 20 million dollars for veteran care facilities.

John McCain voted AGAINST $322 million for safety equipment for our troops in Iraq.

John McCain voted AGAINST $1 billion dollars in new equipment for the National Guard.

John McCain voted AGAINST Jim Webb's G.I. Bill.

John McCain voted AGAINST $430 million for veterans outpatient care.

Barack voted FOR all of these troop support initiatives.

They deserve better than McCain.

We deserve better than McCain.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT

Obama VS. McCain: Who Should You Vote For?
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/matt ...

[14U]

Why is it that people want to talk about things that happen 30 years ago, then after the elections not a word is said again? Just like when all that sh#t that came out about Kerry, did it matter did he have any charges brought against him? NO!LOOK it happened 30 years ago if he did something that bad , Do what needs to be done,other wise SHUT UP!! Stick to current Issues like what one might or Is saying they will do! like - - - YEA READ ON- - THIS IS WHAT I READ IN NEWSMAX! Something to THINK ABOUT!
Forbes also voiced strong reservations over the economic policies of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. “Small businesses would be hurt by his big Social Security tax increase and raising taxes on capital, which businesses need to grow and create new jobs,” Forbes said. “So yes, he would make the situation worse, and he’s already proposed about $800 billion dollars in new spending programs. He says he’ll get the money by closing loopholes, which means he’s going to print it.”
THIS IS NOT 30 YEARS OLD, THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF ELECTED!!

[deminmo]

Your past behavior has some influence on the person you have
become in the present. You can sweep anything under the rug
and most of us would never have to worry about it getting out.
When you become a public entity through running for office, people
will make every effort to dig up the dirt. If this is a fact, McCain brings
up the rumor and puts it to rest before it become a fire.

[pshelleyg]

No wonder the polls are so tight in Nevada. With all of the money he's probably dropped there over the past 30 years, he's probably been a one man economic boon to that state.

[Joe the Troll]

NewsMax...­.now THERE'S an unimpeachable source.

[eden4barack08]

"For much of his adult life, Mr McCain has gambled as often as once a month, friends and associates said, travelling to Las Vegas for weekend betting marathons.
"Former senior campaign officials said they worried about Mr McCain's patronage of casinos given the power he wields over the industry."
But the newspaper is not just taking aim at the fact Mr McCain likes a flutter.
It claims the Republican has built a close relationship with powerful gambling lobbyists during his 25 years in the Senate.
In particular it says he was close to Indian tribes who built some of the world's biggest casinos during his time as chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee.

McCain was chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee from 1995-97, and from 2005-2007.
DO YOU SEE HOW THAT'S NOT 30 YEARS OLD NOW?

[WA-violins]

History not your strong suit?

[rwt1138]

Forbes doesn't know what it is talking about. For 8 years they have had lowered taxes on Social Security and capital, and jobs are disappearing. So clearly that argument is kind of silly.

See, the problem with all these conservative theories about how things ought to be, the prob;lem is that's how they've been the last 8 years. That's what got us here. So spouting off wildly about needing more of the same to fix the problems that "same" caused in the first place is, well, stupid.

[pategp]

To BuickBoy57,

You are the first person I've seen who has brought this up (Senator McCain disobeying orders which led to his being shot down) during this election cycle. I even asked Factcheck.org to look into whether or not it was true, but I never received an answer. If it's not true, then people out to know that it's just a vicious rumor going around, but if it is true and can be proven (therein lies the heart of the matter), then the American people out to be told because it shows that he has played us for over forty years.

[BuickBoy57]

pategp,

Contributed by Stephen Beese at Veterans for Common Sense...

"In an interview with Evan Thomas for the article "What These Eyes Have Seen" in the 2/11/2008 issue of Newsweek, John McCain described how his A4 Skyhawk attack plane went down over Hanoi, leading to his 5.5-year imprisonment in the "Hanoi Hilton." McCain explained that "on his 23rd mission over North Vietnam, on Oct. 26, 1967, he was flying through heavy flak over Hanoi, dodging SAM missiles that looked 'like flying telephone poles,' when he heard a 'beep' signaling that a SAM had locked on to his plane. McCain was just about to drop his bomb on target. He writes that he should have jinked to evade the missile, but out of stubbornness, or a mad kind of bravery, he flew straight on and toggled the bomb switch - just as the missile blew off the right wing of his plane. The force of the ejection from the spinning plane broke his right leg and both arms."

As a highly trained U.S. Naval Aviator, John McCain was capable of evading the attacking SAM and his consequent fate, and the loss of his plane."

Conclusion: One would be hard-pressed to find in any Flight Training Manual an order to play kamikaze or, for that matter, to channel Slim Pickens as Major "King" Kong in Dr. Strangelove.

In McCain's own words, the disaster could have been avoided (the Newsweek piece is online).

[pategp]

Mr. Posner,

Enjoyed your article, but seriously: if Senator McCain has/had a gambling problem, and his wife once paid off a big debt of his, do you really think he's going to admit that with only thirty some odd days left until the general election? With all the other lies that have come out of his campaign I think not.

[BuickBoy57]

McCain admitted in his RNC acceptance speech that he had overflown his mission target, with the consequences being shot down and held as a POW for 5&1/2 years. By going deeper into enemy territory than authorized, he was insubordinate, disobeyed orders, and was hot-dogging for his own sheer pleasure. He paid dearly for that joy ride, but has no one to blame but himself..

After his release, unable to take a command at sea because of his injuries, his naval career stalled at Captain, because in order to make Admiral you have to complete a sea command. That meant he failed to continue his family legacy and, coupled with a lifelong disrepect for authority and rules, is it any wonder that he seems so angry?

The base of McCain's favorite word, deregulation (the mantle of his Senate career), is regulate, for which he has continually shown disdain and contempt.. Are we now to believe that he will do an about face and be an agent of change?

The stakes in this election are far too important, and that is a gamble none of us can afford to take.

[Momma4Obama]

Amen!

[riverwoman]

Your comment (information) was right on! The "gambling story" and the subsequent comments; his notorious temper; his talent for twisting facts (lying); the sad ending of his first marriage; deregulati­on/regulat­ion; and on and on with the latest blow, his choice of a running mate; why in the world would any sane and intelligent voter even give him a second thought? (or a first thought)

[Stravinsky]

Funny, I was just thinking of this in terms of the bailout. What if I asked Bush for the money I've lost gambling. And if he'll fund my continued gambling so I don't go down the tube.

It's serious for me, W., as serious as Hank and Bear Stearnes was when he was there.

Peace.

[Momma4Obama]

Hi!
Um, I may be wrong, but Henry Paulson worked for Goldman Sachs, not Bear Stearns, but as I said, I may be wrong.