<p>This will help McCain. </p>
<p>Most conservatives and many Republicans believe that the NYT is a Democrat mouthpiece. There couldn’t have been anything better for McCain than to have the NYT do a hatchet job on him. What hurt him on the Right was to have the NYT editorially support him. This negates that editorial support. Look for McCains’ positives to go up significantly from conservatives.</p>
<p>I would not be fretting if I were an advisor to McCain.</p>
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<p>LOL! Hysterical, Mini!</p>
<p>Ha! Huckabee miracle!! That would be something wouldn’t it? Too bad the GOP doesn’t have superdelegates to muddy the picture even more.</p>
<p>Seriously though, I think the Keating Five scandal is huge but old news (not breaking news!).</p>
<p>The possibility that he had an extramarital affair may not be such a big deal even for the Republican electorate in 2008. At least it is alleged to be a heterosexual affair. It would be a problem if his gay lover from Vietnam days surfaced with some juicy stories. </p>
<p>The fact that the alleged woman was a lobbyist who might have been given some favors is a potential problem with Independents. </p>
<p>Obama has an opportunity here to demonstrate his rejection of smear politics. I hope he stays far away from this story.</p>
<p>You’re so funny, mini. I swear, the only reason I read these political threads is to read what you say next. I wish you’d start a political blog and report daily on all this stuff. 
(Don’t forget to post the link for it.)</p>
<p>I’d love to read your blog, mini! </p>
<p>All of this is very old news. If no evidence of wrongdoing (corruption) emerges, then suspect that it will blow over (as it should).</p>
<p>I can’t remember, how does that thing go…?</p>
<p>Something, something, wind…
Something, something, whirlwind…?</p>
<p>Where’s Linda Tripp when you need her?</p>
<p>Rick Perry will be the nominee.</p>
<p>(Everyone will snicker when the old geezer says, “My friends…We must rescue Washington from the hands of corporate lobbyists.” ;))</p>
<p>Not Rick Perry! Quit saying that!</p>
<p>I hate this kind of a story. I don’t care whether he had sex “with that woman.” I started reading that story last night and quit because it was so poorly done.</p>
<p>Last night, I heard the NYT went with it after learning The New Republic was getting ready to run a story about the NYT sitting on it. And that Romney had stayed in the race longer than he wanted hoping that the Times would run with it earlier. Who knows. However, I did notice that the campaign didn’t deny the affair.</p>
<p>The campaign said it was a “smear.” When Arnold Swarzenegger was accused of making improper advances to women, he said, “Vere dere is smoke, dere is fire.”</p>
<p>So McCain’s message is: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” </p>
<p>Pardon me while I laugh…</p>
<p>It’s actually hilarious Novelisto. The concept of the geezer as a stud is one of the funniest things. It’s going to confuse the heck out of his public image.</p>
<p>Remember when George’s dad was running against Clinton and stories of Clinton’s various women kept surfacing…folks were saying that rumors of an affair would HELP George Bush.</p>
<p>“…folks were saying that rumors of an affair would HELP George Bush”</p>
<p>I had forgotten that but I remember it now. Funny as heck that no one believed that!</p>
<p>Yikes, I heard a very rational explanation of this ‘affair’ claiming that the woman was exaggerating her influence, and his staff met with her to shut her up. Seems very plausible.</p>
<p>Why do you automatically think it’s the Dems that did this? It has all the hallmarks of a Swift Boat-style attack. The radical right has nothing good to say about McCain, after all.</p>
<p>“Why do you automatically think it’s the Dems that did this? It has all the hallmarks of a Swift Boat-style attack. The radical right has nothing good to say about McCain, after all.”</p>
<p>I read today that it was two former employees of Senator McCain.</p>
<p>Okay, maybe this is just because I’ve worked in the DC political machine, but I don’t understand what the outrage is over.</p>
<p>Republicans and Democrats alike taking significant amounts of money from lobbyists and then doing favors for them? This is news? No, this is how politics works today. It’s how politics has worked for thousands of years.</p>
<p>McCain’s next speech: “My friends, it depends on what the definition of “sex” is.”</p>
<p>I heard he will not get accused of plagiarism - because he has already consulted with Bill Clinton’s speech writer.</p>
<p>This can only help McCain. The (Bill) Clinton loyalists will secretly hope that the allegations are true and that John McCain can bring the womanizing back to the White House. </p>
<p>We have had 7 years of W and there is zero evidence that there is ANYTHING going on in the White House, at least not after 9pm.</p>
<p>Or, worst case, at his age he can be the next Bob Dole and start making lots of money on viagra commercials… :D</p>