The New York Times Article Results In Giant John McCain Scandal
 Thursday, February 21st, 2008

 

So, as you probably have already heard, The New York Times published an article today on John McCain, which alluded to a possible indiscretion with a 40-year-old lobbyist named Vicki Iserman, claiming the relationship between the 71-year old and the pretty blonde was troubling to some of McCain's closest aides.  This was the article.  McCain has since responded via news conference, and everyone from The View to - well, everyone - is discussing the matter.

The bottom line to me is:  who cares?  I don't care if he schlepped her last night.  That has nothing to do with politics.  In fact, the most inflammatory part of it to me was the revelation that McCain used to fly on the corporate jets of media execs like Rupert Murdoch and Michael Bloomberg, which fit another piece of the puzzle into my mind as to why he gets so much blasted media coverage when I haven't met one person who has said they would ever vote for the guy.

Not one.

Our sex-hungry American media took that part of a huge story on the guy and turned into the scandal of the week - leaving many to blame the New York Times for a "smear."  This is just as silly and as stupid as having Monica Lewinsky do internationally broadcast interviews about fellating former President Bill Clinton.

Can we please keep politics and sex lives separate?  I don't care!  I don't want to know!  Am I in the minority here?  Does this have anything to do with politics?  I don't even think the New York Times is to blame, per se, as they were painting a picture of a person who, according to them, has trouble separating his business and personal lives (since this woman was a lobbyist).  That may be relevant - but the way the rest of the press ran with it is not.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck - in the aforementioned battle over this on The View today - actually told Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar and Sherri Shepherd today that she now sees the New York Times as a tabloid because of that article:

We loved Barbara's response, though.

This has already, in the period of one day, caused more uproar than The Huffington Post's editorial on how John McCain backed off on the torture ban to "sell his soul" to the right.  Which was far, far more relevant to the issues in this election.

Not to mention, the Times published McCain's video response right alongside their article as soon as he responded to their allegations, and a full transcript of his answers.  That's good journalism.

Trust me, my goal in life is not to stick up for the Times.  I have enough beef with them over their lack of coverage on our buddy Ron Paul - among many other things.  But it's worth pointing out that fingers are pointing in the wrong direction here.

And people are now going to look at the wrong issues, because they interpret things the way they seem the most exciting.  Well, it's not going to be so exciting if this turns into a pity-party for McCain, and he gets elected into office, and we end up at war for another 100 years and invade Iran and Pakistan and who knows where else.

Can we get back to the real issues here?  I LOVE our military, but they are trained to FIGHT.  That is their job.  Do we want someone in office that will allow this, and will continue the current course of our nation leaking trillions of dollars into forcing democracy where we're not wanted??

Continued > >