http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/us/politics/21mccain.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

WASHINGTON — Early in Senator John McCain’s first run for the White House eight years ago, waves of anxiety swept through his small circle of advisers.

A female lobbyist had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, visiting his offices and accompanying him on a client’s corporate jet. Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself — instructing staff members to block the woman’s access, privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting him, several people involved in the campaign said on the condition of anonymity.

When news organizations reported that Mr. McCain had written letters to government regulators on behalf of the lobbyist’s client, the former campaign associates said, some aides feared for a time that attention would fall on her involvement.

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.

It had been just a decade since an official favor for a friend with regulatory problems had nearly ended Mr. McCain’s political career by ensnaring him in the Keating Five scandal. In the years that followed, he reinvented himself as the scourge of special interests, a crusader for stricter ethics and campaign finance rules, a man of honor chastened by a brush with shame.

But the concerns about Mr. McCain’s relationship with Ms. Iseman underscored an enduring paradox of his post-Keating career. Even as he has vowed to hold himself to the highest ethical standards, his confidence in his own integrity has sometimes seemed to blind him to potentially embarrassing conflicts of interest.

More here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/us/politics/21mccain.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Here come the McCain Skeleton.

But like any other politician(from Clinton, Sen. Craig, Rep Gingrich, Rev. Ted Haggard, Rev. Swaggert, Sen. Dan Hart etc etc) FIRST RESPOSE--> Deny, Deny and Deny again.

 

nytimes is trying to play big game in undermining McCanin's political career hoping to damage his image so that he would loose his republican primary or possibility of winning the 08 election. Like msnbc.com, cnn.com and foxnews.com media are playing against Hillary Cliton on bringing any negativity that they find agains her and blindly supporting Barrak Obama on his empty promises, Nytimes is bringing this negativity in the McCain's pivotal political carrer.

We need to know motivation behind the nytimes why they are putting this article at this time.........

I don't doubt the Times motive. They have endorsed Hillary and would  rather see her or Obama in the White House. That's a no brainer.

The thing I am looking for is what impact this has on the campaign especially amongst social/moral conservatives who are already unhappy with him

This is a big no no for the conservatives. And the NYT being a leftist paper and the timing of this is questionable too. I mean they knew this from his 2000 presidential bid and to wait till now(when they are sure he will be the Republican nominee) is questionable. But regardless this(extra marital affair)has nothing to do with his job preformance as a president. Look at the french President. But this is one of the most important value for Sexually Repressed Bible Belt Republicans. he he

New York Times had endorsed Clinton and McCain before the Primaries and Caucauses. But now it has swift boated to Obama and dumped Hillary. The precise reason has not been known but there has been speculation that Mr. Murdoch (owner of NYT , Fox and many other media) had a fallout with Clintons.

Fox supports republicans except Ron Paul. It bashes Clinton every other hour. MSNBC has been supporter of Obama from the start and has already gotten into trouble several times. CNN, used to be Clinton News Network but is lately changing the tactics and is joining the bandwagon supporting Obama.

The MSM (main stream media ) is a chameleon. Like a popular Nepali saying(hand and burning wood) it likes to swiftboat to a winning candidate.

as the popular nepali adage goes: "baleko aago tapnu", media are doing the same.

there ain't much scope supporting wet panties when boxers are going berserk HAHAHAHAHAHA...

Tell me something new. Media houses, including the ones mentioned above, backing one candidate or party over another is as old as modern  politics itself. The rest of the media has now  picked up the story. McCain can wage a hundred-year war on the NYT, it will only serve the keep the story in play and hurt him.

Here's the picture of McCains 'mistress'? Vicki Iseman:

Limbaugh embraces McCain against common enemy NYT

Maybe this will unite the Republicans now that Hillary might not be around unite them.

Its Revenge time for Rush "The Oxycontin" Limbaugh. he he

Captain Haddock: I agree 100% with your views. If this story of New York Times is true, then I think McCain is history. If not quite vulnerable.

Here's my thoughts, if this story is true, then WHAT DID Mr McCAIN SEE IN VICKI THAT IS NOT IN CINDY (his current wife)???????

I already got picture of Vicki earlier (from CNN). Now guys compare Vicki to Cindy and decide WHO IS MORE BEAUTIFUL:

They look like twins. Maybe he got confused when he was loaded. ha ha ha

i do not know much about politics but despite of the character attack, i think McCain is gonna take the white house away from democrats. i doubt red necks are ready yet to accept a black man as a president of the US or a woman for that matter. unless democrats take away states that have more electorates, i don not see possibilities of dems. wining '08 election. I see this election is gonna be like 2004, too close to call and put republican in the white house at the end.