Is McCain Surrounded by Nothing but Crooks?

What do you get if you cross an influence-peddler with a war profiteer? According to Lindsay Beyerstein of Majikthise, you get John McCain's senior foreign policy adviser.

It's about as ugly a story as you can imagine, with Randy Scheunemann's cronies bragging to potential investors that his role in getting us bogged down in Iraq gives him such strong influence with the U.S. government that the various 'Stans will give oil leases on concessional terms in order to have that influence working for them instead of against them. One of his co-perpetrators is Stephen Payne, the Bush fundraiser whom Bush put on the Homeland Security Advisory Council who just got caught selling access to U.S. officials for donations to the Bush library.

In a just world, this would be the end for McCain. He's now had to dump his chief economic adviser and two spiritual advisers in a row, as well as assorted crooked lobbyists and hangers-on. This raises real questions about his judgment.

But since the story is slightly complicated (not that it can't be told straightforwardly, but it has several moving parts), doesn't involve anyone black, wasn't dug up by a mainstream media outlet, and won't be pumped by Matt Drudge or his mini-me Mark Halperin, it's likely to sink without a trace.

Some Congressional hearings on Payne and his buddies, with Scheunemann called as a witness, might change that. But don't hold your breath.

Comments

[lvdragonlady]

These people, both Reps and Dems, should be tried for treason. They are underminding American, to benefit themselves and the politicians they work with.
Why do we, as Americans, allow this to go on?

[MoeB]

The ironic part is that this will get buried by MSM...meanwhile, I'm reading articles saying how there is a clear bias for Obama in the media. What media are they paying attention to? If they were doing their job (MSM), McCain would be OVER WITH right about now.

[Sundialsvc4]

The system is rotten with corruption to its very core ... and both "so-called candidates" are equally mired in it. But third and fourth candidates do exist (in all political races), with decidedly different viewpoints but without the billions of dollars to promote them.

There comes a point, about two-thirds of the way through a dime-store detective novel, when the crooks drop all pretenses of civility ... they've concluded that they don't need to pursue "this little contretemps" any longer. We are at that point.

But remember: there are more than 300 million of us "plaintiffs" out here, and really only less-than-­a-thousand of them. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. We must be the "aware and knowledgeable citizenry" that Dwight D. Eisenhower cautioned us to be.

[katiec]

The news media, AP has and will continue to support Mccain. Their lack of integrity is
sad and they are making the viewers their vitcimns.
Mccain has gotten a free ride on all aspects. His total incompetence, blunders and
distortions (being nice by not saying lies) have been completely covered up by
all media.
Did you know that Murdock is now on the board of directors for AP??
What does that tell you.
The media is owned by big corporations,.
One shining light, the American people are smarter than they give us credit for.

[zendem1]

I guess you are who you surround yourself with.

[MarilynBB]

There is a point when accountability to the taxpayers will prevail. The greed and selfishness of those in positions of power and control will be revealed. Open communication and the ability to replay videos, search records and mass distribute truths is creating new realities for people who think and dare to share. Hurray!

[Moose49]

But he's the incorruptible St. John McCain! He can surround himself with crooks because he's incapable of being corrupted. It doesn't matter whether it's Charles Keating, Charlie "I represent corrupt dictators" Black, Phil "gave us the Enron and subprime scandals" Gramm, or this bozo Scheunemann, St. John is Mr. Reform. Or at least, that's what the mainstream media will keep telling us.

[scooperss]

He's a republican, right?

[DrPaulProteus]

Is John McCain surrounded by nothing but crooks?
He's a US Senator for chrissake. And a Republican. Do the math.

[GiggidyGeshmoygen]

when the MainStreamMedia and its corporate puppetmasters start deciding what is news and what is not news, they cease to be a credible source of information about what is really happening in the real world

and CNN is by far the worst offender when it comes to telling people what IT wants them to know and what IT wants them to think - CNN's "best political team on television" is just a very sad and propagandisitic FOXnews "fair & balanced" wannabe