Posted on 12/20/2007 7:47:55 AM PST by sitetest
Edited on 12/20/2007 9:24:12 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
MEDIA FIREWORKS: MCCAIN PLEADS WITH NY TIMES TO SPIKE STORY
Thu Dec 20 2007 10:56:57 ET
Just weeks away from a possible surprise victory in the primaries, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz has been waging a ferocious behind the scenes battle with the NEW YORK TIMES, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, and has hired DC power lawyer Bob Bennett to mount a bold defense against charges of giving special treatment to a lobbyist!
McCain has personally pleaded with NY TIMES editor Bill Keller not to publish the high-impact report involving key telecom legislation before the Senate Commerce Committee, newsroom insiders tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
The paper's Jim Rutenberg has been leading the investigation and is described as beyond frustrated with McCain's aggressive and angry efforts to stop any and all publication.
MORE
The drama involves a woman lobbyist who may have helped to write key telecom legislation.
The woman in question has retained counsel and strongly denies receiving any special treatment from McCain.
Rutenberg, along with reporter David Kirkpatrick, has been developing the story for the last 6 weeks.
Rutenberg had hoped to break the story before the Christmas holiday, sources reveal, but editor Keller expressed serious reservations about jounalism ethics and issuing a damaging story so close to an election.
McCain campaign officials Rick Davis, Charlie Black and Mark Salter are also said to have met with the NEW YORK TIMES in an effort to halt publication.
Developing...
Yea but all in the race would love to have the 10-12% of the vote he garners.
No, that supposed to be Edwards, according to a Hil-pal’s Nat’l Enquirer. Most would expect McC’s to be a “hate child”. And one more thing- it’s a purported Edwards love child conceived while wife was recovering from cancer treatments, if I’m doing the math right. Can’t believe Edwards is still going through the motions of campaigning, be it true.
McLame was also involved with the Keating 5, he has a long history of shady political deals, just like Rudy - both are toast.
You got that right.
“Yea but all in the race would love to have the 10-12% of the vote he garners.”
And they would prefer to have a chunk of that vote BEFORE Iowa and New Hampshire, not after.
sitetest
OK ... so we have to ask what positions McCain has staked out, would coincide with special treatment to lobbyists. I can think of only one, off the top of my head -- McCain has been virulently and publicly opposed to Boeing on a number of fronts. It's often seemed to be "beyond reasonable."
I can almost see LockMart or NorthrupGrumman prodding him to act that way....
Exactly.
Yeah, he was one of the Keating 5. Ya sure don't here about that anymore, do you?
Mo women, mo troubles.
I bet she's hot.
I see it as a blip, nothing more. The MSM wants a good dog fight, and they have a history of propping McCain up, as we saw in 2000.
Norman Bates keeps it.
More from Drudge:
Just weeks away from a possible surprise victory in the primaries, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz has been waging a ferocious behind the scenes battle with the NEW YORK TIMES, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, and has hired DC power lawyer Bob Bennett to mount a bold defense against charges of giving special treatment to a lobbyist!
McCain has personally pleaded with NY TIMES editor Bill Keller not to publish the high-impact report involving key telecom legislation before the Senate Commerce Committee, newsroom insiders tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
The paper’s Jim Rutenberg has been leading the investigation and is described as beyond frustrated with McCain’s aggressive and angry efforts to stop any and all publication.
MORE
The drama involves a woman lobbyist who may have helped to write key telecom legislation.
The woman in question has retained counsel and strongly denies receiving any special treatment from McCain.
Rutenberg, along with reporter David Kirkpatrick, has been developing the story for the last 6 weeks.
Rutenberg had hoped to break the story before the Christmas holiday, sources reveal, but editor Keller expressed serious reservations about jounalism eithics and issuing a damaging story so close to an election.
McCain campaign officials Rick Davis, Charlie Black and Mark Salter are also said to have met with the NEW YORK TIMES in an effort to halt publication.
Developing...
Bill Clinton's attorney in the Monicagate caper. You don't hire Bennett unless it's a major MAJOR problem.
This report has at least a couple of angles.
There’s the GIVING PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT to some evil corporate entity.
Then there’s INVOLVES A WOMAN LOBBYIST who has RETAINED COUNSEL.
Oh, and then there’s this angle:
TRIED TO GET MAJOR NEWSPAPER OF RECORD TO SIT ON STORY.
Thanks.
If you're familiar with the Darlene Druyan debacle, you'll know that McCain's concerns with Boeing are--or were--well placed and justified.
McCain had a near-death (politically) experience in the Keating affair in the 1980s. Since then he's displayed an almost religious fervor against influence peddling or anything approacing it.
That's why this Drudge report is so odd.
Can a pre-emptive "signed affadavit" be far behind? Very Clintonian, that strategy.
Is this another media “gotcha” in a campaign season of gotcha’s?
this is nothing....besides (most all of our reps) do it....is called under-the-table. but I am guessing, on this one.
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