McCain's Non-Denial Denial of an Intervention
There's been a lot of hay made on right wing blogs, talk radio, and ol' fashioned cable news today that the New York Times ran an unsourced smear job against John McCain. The goal of this kind of pushback is to discredit the Times reporting on a possible sex scandal, thereby discounting the entire story of corruption, reminiscent to the destruction of Dan Rather's reporting on George W. Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard. But we cannot allow there to be any adjudication of the accuracy of what the Times' anonymous "two former associates" said based on the fact that the reports are anonymous, when John McCain has only issued a non-denial denial of the intervention connected to these "two former associates."
To understand why the relationship between McCain and Iseman should remain an issue - though not the sole issue - under discussion, we need to look at what the Times and the Washington Post have separately reported about the intervention with McCain and what McCain has said in response.
In the New York Times story, three separate McCain staffers talk about ways in which they intervened with and for their boss about his relationship with lobbbyist Vicki Iseman:
In interviews, the two former associates said they joined in a series of confrontations with Mr. McCain, warning him that he was risking his campaign and career. Both said Mr. McCain acknowledged behaving inappropriately and pledged to keep his distance from Ms. Iseman. The two associates, who said they had become disillusioned with the senator, spoke independently of each other and provided details that were corroborated by others.
Separately, a top McCain aide met with Ms. Iseman at Union Station in Washington to ask her to stay away from the senator. John Weaver, a former top strategist and now an informal campaign adviser, said in an e-mail message that he arranged the meeting after "a discussion among the campaign leadership" about her. [Emphasis added]
The Washington Post, in an update to their previously posted piece, is reporting the following:
Earlier today, McCain denied ever being confronted by his staff about his relationship with Iseman, also denying that he confirmed he was behaving inappropriately with her. The AP reports on the McCain press conference (via TalkLeft):
Members of the senator's small circle of advisers also confronted McCain directly, according to sources, warning him that his continued ties to a lobbyist who had business before the powerful commerce committee he chaired threatened to derail his presidential ambitions.
Appearing before reporters this morning in Toledo, Ohio, McCain flatly denied receiving such warnings from his aides and said he had no knowledge that Weaver or anyone else on his staff had told Iseman to keep her distance. [Emphasis added]
But McCain said he was unaware of any such conversation [between Weaver and Iseman], and denied that his aides ever tried to talk to him about his interactions with Iseman.
"I never discussed it with John Weaver. As far as I know, there was no necessity for it," McCain said. "I don't know anything about it," he added. "John Weaver is a friend of mine. He remains a friend of mine. But I certainly didn't know anything of that nature." [Emphasis added]
Now, only one side can be right. Two McCain advisers said they intervened with McCain and he concurred with their assessment of his relationship of Iseman as problematic. Weaver says he met with Iseman to intervene on her side. McCain is contradicting the accounts of three separate advisers. It's possible that Weaver's intervention with Iseman took place without the knowledge of McCain, but McCain goes beyond denying knowledge of the Weaver/Iseman meeting to deny any reason for such a meeting to take place. Someone is lying and the law of parsimony would suggest that it's McCain.
Marc Ambinder notes that the Times' use of the word "associates" suggests that, in fact, the people who confronted him were not aides or staffers. He hazards that "associates" might actually be other lobbyists.
I think Ambinder is raising a good point here and I think it's likely that McCain is getting cute with his language. If "associates" does not mean aides or staffers, his statements denying an intervention in his press conference, which the AP described as about "aides" may be factually correct, but dodging the question.
McCain's denial, however, is circumscribed to aides and staff. In that sense, when it comes to the intervention by associates or advisers in his relationship with Vicki Iseman, John McCain is issuing a non-denial denial. This is critically important and a key reason why there attention should continue to be paid to the actions taken by McCain's circle of advisers - be they staff, lobbyists, friends, colleagues, consultants, or anyone else - in response to concerns about his relationship with Vicki Iseman.
I think the press has an obligation to start highlight the intense (dare I say, Bill Clinton-esque?) parsing being committed by John McCain on the subject of whether or not anyone tried to get him to discontinue his relationship with Vicki Iseman.
***
This article is based off of two blog posts originally posted on my blog, Hold Fast.
Follow Matt Browner Hamlin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mbrownerhamlin
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
Boggyman John MacCain is a liar like George W. and the main stream conservative media will give him an easy pass just like they did Bush to get him elected.
McCain can't even get his HANDS up, let alone....?
Heh!
That is so funny! He was tortured for five-and-a-half years and can't raise his hands. Oh my God, you are just so fucking funny.
Blah, Blah, Blah.
What have you done for me lately? (30yrs?)
Coming from, what all appearances (by our other posts at HUFFPO) a neocon biggot, I guess Johnny McCain IS your only hope to hold onto some semblance of power. Good Luck with that! How can you rationalize that a man with McCain's life experiences now seems to think it OK to torture others? The damage McCain is doing and the potential for more harm and damage to our YOUNG soldiers, in the event of capture, well....
...he should be ashamed of his "blind ambition"?
McCain would be the worst thing to happen to our country. He will carry on the W. policies and the disaster will continue for another 4 years. McCain does not acknowledge his errors and pretends that the issues presented had nothing to do with him. He is unstable, and unfit to be our next Pres.
Having the US being in war for the next 100 years, as McCain has spoken of, would certainly be worlds of pain beyond measurement. The American people do not want this to be inflicted upon them. Years as a soldier do not necessarily mean that any person has earned the credentials to have the job as leader of the free world. I respect Mr. McCain for his years of sacrifice at the hands of the North Vietnamese, but we need a President with a different vision. We need to have our children flourish so that they may enjoy their children.M
McCain is just another older than dirt unchangable, old fart that is unable to win an election. The Youth vote has been flushed away with the advent of backroom deals and old men. Bush had some terrible policys McCain will too he has no clue about economics. You might as well give the election to Obama. Not like we believe that votes really matter . I believe its all fixed, our governments reputation for honesty don't exist.
McCain lies so much one wonders if he ever told the truth!
Yes John you did take care of the telecommunications lobby in what is called the "chairman's mark" i.e. Mr. McCain you had your staff put things in the bill for your friends as the legislation was drafted! You did it John as chairman of the Commerce committee. You took care of your friends in the aviation bill, the tobacco bill. Any legislation that came out of your committee you took care of your friends John!
Just like you did on the Armed Services Committee.
God John McCain is a disaster waiting to explode.
Let’s not forget that this so called "hero" divorced his first wife who waited for him to come home after being a POW for five years! He marries "Ms. Bud" so her daddy the largest beer distributor in the southwest could finance his congressional campaign. Then he runs for the Senate and the God father of the Conservative movement in the Republican Party Barry Goldwater refused to endorse McCain because of the way McCain treated his first wife! Oh let us not forget that John McCain was the leading figure in the Keating Savings and Loan Scandal. John there is so much more to come out about what a jerk you are you should do us all a favor and resign from the race.
Really I am at a loss to figure out the emotional basket cases we call liberals. How does a person defend against innuendo, against something that no one can prove, a non-story by the New York Times, the Gray Whore for the liberals. And as far as I know Bill Clinton left his DNA not only on Monica but her dress also then instead of getting in front of the cameras and saying that his personal life is between him and his wife, he lied to the Grand Jury. Clinton, by his actions , brought that on himself and he has no one to blame for it except the guy staring back at him in the mirror. The trouble with the National Socialist Liberal Progressive Democratic Party and the Liberal wing of the media is that they have been trying to even the score for Clinton. But again Clinton did it to himself. And for the New York Times to do what they did would be the same as if the Conservative media would come out with falsehoods and innuendo saying Barrack Obama traded gay sex for drugs. But of course, the Conservative media deals in facts instead of emotional demagogic innuendo and lies. Which would explain the dismal ratings of the liberal wing of the media. I am surprised that the keep doing "Dan Rathers" instead of dealing in facts maybe they would fare much better in the world of journalism.
"emotional basket cases we call liberals"?
Oh how I long for the days when the most sensational news was whether or not Clinton got a BJ in the Oval Office....
And you have the 'unmitigated audacity'' to call someone who disagrees with the reporting of the possibility of inappropriate behavior by a 'so called' Conservative Presidential candidate.
If you don't think THIS administration is the most LIBERAL one we have ever had you need to go back to Business Math 101.
The figures speak for themselves. And I'm not talking about the body count in Iraq either. That's another sad thing this administration seems to think is 'expendable'.
I think we, as Americans, have a right to know the truth! However you choose to 'label' us 'basket cases'!!!
Oh Bondaroid I am hurt beyond belief. I am an emotional basket case I don't know how I'll go on. Though I am not a member of the NSLPD party I am an independent Socialist Liberal Progressive and I bet it would surprise you to find out that I am not anti-democratic, something that is always implied by the conservative media when they toss around that old rhetoric. You poor fool who seems stuck back in the cold war era of insults.
I see a time in the near future that we will have universal health care and it will be implemented by the will of the people and the vote of our representitives. Those are the facts you will have to accept.You wouldn't want to be anti-democratic just to stop a socialist idea would you. I remember a group of people who used the same tactics last century to stop the socialists in Germany. They were called Nazis.The conservative media as you call it is nothing more then the 21st century version of the brown shirts.
The people are speaking you conservatives just don't like what your hearing. You are so last century.
On a serious note that is the one thing I do fear and that is that these modern day brown shirts will create as much chaos as they can to try and stop this very refreshing and important movement being lead by our youth. We older progressives must not fold in the face of what will come and I assure you it will between now and November. Remain vigilant, be bold and keep your eyes on the prize.
Dan Rather reported the true story of Georgie boy when he scooted from the Natl Air Guard. There was never a person, in the Air Guard, come forward to defend Georgie boy or back up his phoney stories. The paper that was used to give the facts to CBS was the only doubtful part of the story but the right wing hatchet folk did there usual job of muddying the waters and CBS choked. The $$$$ made the difference,not the truth. Now comes forward a story that is also true. McCain the fearless, who has traded on his war record to gain many, many passes on his misteps, now wants to deny lobby loving to smooth the gossip that his own bunch has brought out but dosen't want it to be an item when November rolls around. It will never go away and his protected jaunt in Bagdad will never go away. His own party is very split on his
nomination. They are praying ( they do lots of this ) for
someone to appear who will stand tall and replace him.
What bothers me, is that his wife, who is very pretty, is smiling and paying a lot of attention to everything he says. But, McCain, always seems to ignore her. He barely looks at her. And I never see any hand holding between them or any affection. I did not like that when he denied the accusations, that he said he would never betray his Country. What about his wife? It seems like their marriage, is for show only. If he did have an affair with this woman, did he compromise his values in order to do her favors? And what about his values regarding his family?
How sad that McCain, who obviously took this much younger woman under his wing, so to speak, is being so unfairly charged with wrong doing. And not even an e-mail or hotel receipt to prove anything.
Why....sur
Geeze....w
It would have been nice if during his 'denial' speech, with his wife standing by his side he had said something to the effect of:
"I love my beautiful wife, Cindy, and I have never and would never cheat on her!"
Now that would have been saying something!
Alas....hi
~ Jazziette
KFNX News Talk Radio 1100 AM
Phoenix, Arizona
http://www
The critical question is: did he inhale?
bring back mittens... we know romney's not a romper
i have never dunked it during a junket though i hardly knew her; and to discuss anal would be banal
To think that a guy like McCain--who exhibits so little self-control in his personal life--could be trusted with the codes in the football is the height of folly. McBomb keeps proving that he DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE PRESIDENT because he isn't STABLE.
Jumping up and down and tearing up the NYT just doesn't answer the questions about McCain. Nor do the loud noises of outrage issuing from his toady lawyers and hirelings. Come on folks, do you really imagine that McCain did NOT have a adulterous relationship with Vicki Iseman? Yes, that's quite commonplace in the D.C. zoo, but what is of importance here is that she is a lobbyist, and she and her clients and McCain had a nice symbiotic relationship. I am an un-neoconned Republican. I am ashamed of the G.O.P. Do they really expect me to vote for McCain? No way.
In McCain-as-
What I liked is McCain's statement that he took many rides on planes owned by corporations but that he helped end such behavior by Congress. In other words, he thought it was inappropriate but did it anyway because it was allowed and everyone else was doing it.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
