It's the Money, Stupid

by Joseph A. Palermo

There is no better illustration of everything that is WRONG with Washington than the John McCain-Vicki Iseman tryst. The Republican Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee carrying on with a comely female Republican lobbyist who represents the corporate interests of other Republicans with business before the committee and who donates to the chairman's campaigns. Wow! And today McCain is out sanctimoniously waving the flag and "supporting the troops" while the evidence mounts that he used his position as Commerce Committee chair to rake in cash hand over fist for his corporate campaign donors.

Throughout 1999 and 2000, the Republican lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, was close by McCain's side at fundraisers, parties, and on private jets. Their face time together caught the attention of members of McCain's own staff. They grew concerned about the impropriety of McCain flying around the country with the fetching female lobbyist, 30 years his junior, on a jet owned by the telecommunications tycoon and McCain campaign contributor, Lowell Paxson. Ms. Iseman "lobbied" McCain on behalf of Paxson's business interests.

More after the click ...

My comment:

The good folks on the right didn't get it in the 90s with Clinton and it doesn't seem they get it this time around. It's not about the roll in the hay ... or it shouldn't be. The real moral issue is the betrayal of the public trust. Clinton, getting a BJ in the Oval Office didn't rob the people. If McCain used his influence as a committee Chairman and favored the few at the expense of the many, that would be robbery. It doesn't matter if the bribe was in the form of cash or the lobbyist's ability to cross her ankles behind her head, it's still dishonest.

I wasn't concerned about Clinton getting his plumbing attended to and I don't care whether or not McCain got his adjusted. I do care about the idea of being in bed with special interests and not attending to the business of "We the People".

Still more here ...

Is this kind of hypocracy in the Right Wing DNA?