By:
John Amato on Thursday, February 21st, 2008 at 10:30 AM - PST
On the substance, we think the story speaks for itself. On the timing, our policy is, we publish stories when they are ready.
“‘Ready’ means the facts have been nailed down to our satisfaction, the subjects have all been given a full and fair chance to respond, and the reporting has been written up with all the proper context and caveats.
“This story was no exception. It was a long time in the works. It reached my desk late Tuesday afternoon. After a final edit and a routine check by our lawyers, we published it.”
The talkies are all saying McCain is winning the battle with the Grey Lady so far, really? The story just broke.— The spin is in.
McCain responds...
UPDATE: JayRosen and Will Bunch add some good analysis…
No Trackbacks To “Bill Keller of the NY Times stands behind the McCain/Lobbyist story“
95 Responses for “Bill Keller of the NY Times stands behind the McCain/Lobbyist story”
.
I M P E A C H
C H E N E Y
F I R S T!
.
.
But is there a blue dress?
.
New York Times… betting big on Obama and they’ve got a lot of rent to pay.
McCain Divorce Settlement Outlined
By BILL KACZOR
Associated Press Writer
February 24, 2000
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - John McCain gave up his interest in two homes and agreed to pay $1,625 a month in alimony and child support when he divorced his first wife 20 years ago, court records show.
The senator and Republican presidential candidate divorced his wife Carol in 1980 when he was a Navy captain with a home of record in Orange Park, Fla., about 12 miles south of Jacksonville.
McCain, 63, gave her his interest in homes in Alexandria, Va., and South Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., according to records of the divorce settlement obtained by The Associated Press and other newspapers.
The Arizona senator agreed to give her their furnishings, $1,325 a month in alimony, $300 in child support. He also agreed to pay an additional $500 monthly if she couldn’t find a job.
She was subsequently employed in the Reagan White House, according to George “Bud” Day, McCain’s attorney during the divorce. Day also was one McCain’s cellmates when they were prisoners of war in Vietnam.
Carol McCain, who has remained friendly with her former husband, did not immediately return a phone call to her Virginia home Thursday seeking comment.
McCain filed for the divorce, stating in court records that the marriage was “irretrievably broken.”
Under the settlement, McCain maintained insurance policies worth $64,000 with their children as beneficiaries, agreed to pay for their daughter’s college education and paid $3,005 in joint debts. Carol McCain got the family’s Audi, while McCain was allowed to keep a Datsun 810 and his personal belongings, the records show.
A month after the divorce, McCain married Cindy Lou Hensley, heiress to Phoenix-based Hensley & Co., the nation’s second-largest Anheuser-Busch distributor.
Carol McCain was seriously injured in a traffic accident on Christmas Eve 1969, but her husband did not find out about it until he was released from Vietnam, Day said.
In the settlement, McCain agreed to provide insurance or pay medical bills for additional treatment she was expected to require. ”
Google McCain Divorce in news and you’ll find lots of his Newt-like behavior toward his seriously injured wife. Remember, McCain had no knowledge of her accident. When he returned he found his wife to be seriously disfigured. So, he divorced her and one month later married again.
So much for love and honor.
politis @ 3:
FYI: They endorsed Hillary.
‘Ready’ means we wait until our corporate overlords give us the green light so that we don’t subvert their candidates chances in the primaries.
Joementum @ 5:
AND McInsane!
Joementum @ 5:
Damn those facts!
Joe S. was pretty fair in his thoughts on it and that is after 6 hours of covering it so if he sees both sides of it the the media as a whole should be able to grasp the story.
Well well well…could it be….yet another rethug about to have the glaring spotlight of the media (such as it is) shining into his extramarital affairs? Boy, these republicans sure are a horny bunch of bastards.
I wonder if Cindy needed an extra dose before “standing at John’s side” during the press conference?
liberalNmoderation @ 10:
lol — Yeah, they SO don’t deserve this!
liberalNmoderation @ 10:
I’m most surprised that this was a heterosexual affair with an adult…..certainly not a typical reich-winger.
The first thing I noticed when the story broke was how much the lobbyist looked like Cindy McCain. Also, I didn’t remember, until my memory was jogged this morning, that McCain is the only senator still in the Senate from the infamous Keating Five. So this is not the first time he has done favors for the moneyed and infamous. The Wikipedia entry for the Keating Five is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five.
Dr. Matt @ 13:
Rest assured that we don’t have the whole story.
Well, at least we are not subjected to endless Hillaty and Obama coverage. And now all hell is breaking loose in Belgrade. How long brfore the McCain story is put on the back burner?
John McCain is a babe magnet?
Who knew?
Dr. Matt @ 13:
That’s what makes him a maverick
Dr. Matt @ 13:
I know! LMAO!!! Totally out of sync with the rest of ‘em…guess he really IS a maverick after all…oh yeah…I’m on fire today!
Dammit JOementum, ya beat me to it, lol!
sexual affair with a lobbyist? titilating, but not that relevant to the election…
favors for a lobbyist who has done you favors? now, there is a story with teeth.
but what i think is one of the more damning aspects of the story was the re-hash of his part in the keating 5 scandal. and it made his claim today–that he as never done anything out of the public interest–all the more funny (see, fucking hypocritical):
mccain today, “At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust”
contrast that with yester-year’s mccain (from nyt):
By early 1987, though, the thrift was careering toward disaster. Mr. McCain agreed to join several senators, eventually known as the Keating Five, for two private meetings with regulators to urge them to ease up. “Why didn’t I fully grasp the unusual appearance of such a meeting?” Mr. McCain later lamented in his memoir.
When Lincoln went bankrupt in 1989 — one of the biggest collapses of the savings and loan crisis, costing taxpayers $3.4 billion — the Keating Five became infamous. The scandal sent Mr. Keating to prison and ended the careers of three senators, who were censured in 1991 for intervening. Mr. McCain, who had been a less aggressive advocate for Mr. Keating than the others, was reprimanded only for “poor judgment” and was re-elected the next year.
mccain, you are a lying hypocrite.
mcliar the flip-flop dry-fuck gop
christianmemberlike all repugs……just believe what i say….
but don’t look behind the curtain.
theWalrus @ 17:
Ha ha ha….too funny!
corporate interests being what they are - if McCain had not done any favors for Iseman’s clients, would they have continued paying her for her lobbying services, supported his campaign and flown him around the country on corporate jets?
exactly how stupid do they think we are?
Could we please stop attacking McCain until after he gets the nomination away from that psycho Huckabee?
Why isn’t the press making more of the fact that Gramps has cheated before?
If he is winning, it’s because they knew how long in advance that the story was coming out? You give anyone that much time to get ready and they’re going to jump out of the blocks.
continued from yesterday….
McKeating Five
If the NY Times knew about this, why did they endorse him? I still don’t get that.
McShagalicious
Zenrage @ 25:
I believe it’s mathematically impossible for the Huckster to get enough delegates.
No doubt McCain is winning against the Grey Lady WITH REPUBLICANS. This won’t wash so with independents or even spineless, worthless blue dog dems. This hair-trigger tempered MORON–yes MORON–has received kid glove treatment by the wise old men and women (and lots of young ones too) of Washington. Let’s see if this false veneer starts to peel.
ecotopian @ 29:
Someone explained how the 2 parts of the paper are separate.
From the link provided.
This sums up my frustration with the slanted right wing media protecting this bastard.
ecotopian @ 29:
They endorsed him in the GOP primary — not for the general election (yet).
Given the choices at the time (Huckabilly, Mittens, Ghouliani), I think they did the right thing.
ecotopian @ 29:
The NYT editorial section endorsed McHorny. The editorial section of any newspaper is distinct and separate from the investigative journalists.
So people question Barak’s past and its smear and fear but bring this up on john mccain is perfectly okay?
Lilybelle @ 32:
Thought you were talking about Obama there for a minute. Hmmm.
Dr. Matt @ 36:
But they’re paid by the same owner.
Johnny2Bad @ 38:
Hey Johnny. If you are a Dem, are you voting for Obama when Hillary quits, or are you a Rep supporter?
It remains unclear why the paper sat on the story since December. But whether or not the New York Times has had the goods on John McCain, it didn’t stop them from endorsing him in the state’s Republican primary last month.
For the details, see:
“NY Times Endorsed McCain Before Running Scandal Piece.”
Dr. Matt @ 30:
#171, Thanks Doc!
;)
Betty @ 4: I took your advice. Lord, what a cesspool Arizona Republican politics is! Rehnquist, Keating, McCain and his loony newspaper publisher, a father-in-law tied to the mob; a second wife who just happens to be independently wealthy - this is what passes for a maverick with the R’s.
sexual affair with a lobbyist? titilating, but not that relevant to the election…
Are you referring to John’s
erectionelection?If you think they are all about defending McCain now, just wait until the debates roll around and which ever dem is the candidate, bests him in a debate. Once more we will see the right circle the wagons around him. He’s supposed to be so tough, but when the going gets tough, they feel a need to protect and defend him.
Jerry @ 14:
And while you are there, just look up Cindy McCain and read of her illegal exploits…everything from drug addiction to extortion to blackmail. Nice girl, eh?
Joementum @ 35:
McErectablenotelectable
P.S. Your McCain-unable is still my favorite. 8-D
Perhaps they sat on the story until they had more proof. I think there will be more stuff about this soon in the Times.
It has been said before but I am sure that many many Republicans are just relieved that the sexual affair in question was between an adult male and an adult female. Between Mark (let me turn that page for you) Foley and Larry (Tappy McWidestance) Craig, this is a step up.
Wednesday’s contributions to the McList of (currently 170) McPetNames(h/t Dr. Matt):
McGrandpa
McAssclown
McChimpy’sbidet
McJowls
McI’veFallenAndCan’tGetUp
McScary
McRedface
McWannabe
McMorewars
McAlzheimer’s
McLeakeyoldass
McTerrible
McTemper
McIsGonnaBotchThisCampaignLikeBotchingIsGoingOutOfStyle
McDoesAnyoneReallyThinkMostOfTheseAreWittyBecauseISureAsHellKnowTheyArentCauseIAmNotLaughing
McBobDoleJr
McPoopypants
McPeckertracks
McDilatedrectalsphincter
McCrazamnesty
McIncompetent
McLover
McHornyoldgoat
McCock
McHorny
McPhilanderer
McBoner
McHornybastard
McViagra
McTicklethepickle
McSpankthelobbyist
McBoningtheblondie
McLickher
McNutJob
McMilfhunter
McDidher;didn’tI?!
McCheatin’
McBootycall
“Shorter lists are funnier” generally holds true, and very well may re the McList. C&L’ers are diverse and eclectic, and I’ve enjoyed many lols, LOLs, LOL!s and Ha ha’s here. I’m reluctant to exclude any McEntry, ’cause they’re all funny/pointed/cathartic to varying degrees, and the sheer length of the entire list (posted Tuesdays and Fridays) has a humorous quality of its own.
We are also generating denigrating McMemes, some of which may be useful, in a memie sort of way. The thuglicontards are very aware of the usefulness of denigrating memes, and it won’t hurt to put out a few of our own.
That being said, a Top 11, Dirty Dozen, etc. are considerations, for those (myself included, usually) who like things condensed to essentials.
Pile on, C&L’ers!
Will update at my convenience on pertinent threads.
8-D