NYT: McCain's team erupted over his relationship with female lobbyist

by: Pam Spaulding

Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 21:45:00 PM EST

In a lengthy NYT piecethat has been in the works for some time -- John McCain's staffers in 2000 were so concerned about the 71-year-old Arizona senator's relationship with Vicki Iseman, a 40-year-old lobbyist, that they told him to put the kibosh on contact with her on multiple occasions. Toss in some ethical issues -- she had clients who donated to his campaign. This has to be causing agita in the Tool's 2008 camp.  

Early in Senator John McCain's first run for the White House eight years ago, waves of anxiety swept through his small circle of advisers.

A female lobbyist had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, in his offices and aboard a client's corporate jet. Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself - instructing staff members to block the woman's access, privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting him, several people involved in the campaign said on the condition of anonymity.

When news organizations reported that Mr. McCain had written letters to government regulators on behalf of the lobbyist's client, the former campaign associates said, some aides feared for a time that attention would fall on her involvement.

...The lobbyist, a partner at the firm Alcalde & Fay, represented telecommunications companies for whom Mr. McCain's commerce committee was pivotal. Her clients contributed tens of thousands of dollars to his campaigns.

Mr. Black said Mr. McCain and Ms. Iseman were friends and nothing more. But in 1999 she began showing up so frequently in his offices and at campaign events that staff members took notice. One recalled asking, "Why is she always around?"

That February, Mr. McCain and Ms. Iseman attended a small fund-raising dinner with several clients at the Miami-area home of a cruise-line executive and then flew back to Washington along with a campaign aide on the corporate jet of one of her clients, Paxson Communications. By then, according to two former McCain associates, some of the senator's advisers had grown so concerned that the relationship had become romantic that they took steps to intervene.

A former campaign adviser described being instructed to keep Ms. Iseman away from the senator at public events, while a Senate aide recalled plans to limit Ms. Iseman's access to his offices.

In interviews, the two former associates said they joined in a series of confrontations with Mr. McCain, warning him that he was risking his campaign and career. Both said Mr. McCain acknowledged behaving inappropriately and pledged to keep his distance from Ms. Iseman. The two associates, who said they had become disillusioned with the senator, spoke independently of each other and provided details that were corroborated by others.

"I believe that the institution of marriage should be reserved for the union of one man and one woman, said Sen. McCain. The Protect Marriage Arizona Amendment would allow the people of Arizona to decide on the definition of marriage in our state. I wholeheartedly support the Protect Marriage Arizona Amendment and I hope that the voters in Arizona choose to support it as well." -- John McCain in 2005, smiling with glee alongside then-chair of Protect Marriage Arizona, the late Lynn Stanley, holding some of the petitions that ensured the measure made it on the ballot.

Just imagine all the moralist McCain haters on the far right are thinking right about now. Will this hand the nomination to Pastor Huckabee? All kinds of bad jokes come to mind -- was the lobbying horizontal or vertical? Was he lobbying to be the next Viagra spokesman? Is there a not-so-hidden meaning to "Straight Talk Express?

McCain's interesting response is after the jump.

McCain Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker released this statement to the press:

"It is a shame that the New York Times has lowered its standards to engage in a hit and run smear campaign. John McCain has a 24-year record of serving our country with honor and integrity. He has never violated the public trust, never done favors for special interests or lobbyists, and he will not allow a smear campaign to distract from the issues at stake in this election.

"Americans are sick and tired of this kind of gutter politics, and there is nothing in this story to suggest that John McCain has ever violated the principles that have guided his career."

No news there. Except the Right never laid off Bill Clinton for his proclivities. It will be interesting to see how they handle this. Let's get a Freeper report...

Actual Freeper Quotes

We have a country in big trouble, can't any of these turkeys keep it in their pants and pay attention to business?

Bye bye McCain, this is the bombshell that will destroy McCain, it is allover for the GOP this election, the only question is will it be Hillary or Obama now the McCain is 100% finished....

Huckabee/Clinton/NYT/Obermann dirty trick.

So, this is the story the mediaWHORES were sitting on for months, waiting for an opportune time. Shocked? Hell no, nothing shocks me anymore! Move on nothing to see here just another romance....you know like the one bubba had and the mediawhores kept telling us bubba was just sowing his wild oats.

Nobodys accusing McCain of having an affair with this lady. His crime is talking to her because she is a lobbyist. You inferrred what they wanted you to. That's the way sleazy scumbag bastards at the Times, MSNBC and the DNC operate.

Which one of our guys leaked this? This was inside information from his last campaign. Somebody who knows where the bodies are buried doesn't want McCain either.

If Huck is nominated, the dems wins at least 40 states.

Good grief...I guess this is why Ron Paul stayed in too?

Smart freakin serpent mediaWHORES, they were waiting for McPAIN to be the front runner . Also it takes Osama's wife off the front pages too. BUT, this too can be a ray of light for us, perhaps Romney can get the nomination at the convention.....HMMMM. God works in mysterious ways!

I have a bad feeling about McCain aside from his willingness to go to the other side....he just does not have the mojo to fire people up.....or to convince others that the lies are just that lies...Obama will eat McCain up in any debate.....

"This is a non-story. This will have no effect on McCain's chances."

I agree 100%. McCain will be demolished regardless of this story.

I'm just surprised that they didn't pass it on to Drudge to report. Oh wait! They'd only do that with a Democrat. Dig up dirt on a Republican, and the big newspapers and national networks spill the beans. Dig up dirt on a Democrat, and the story is passed down to an internet site to leak.

The propaganda arm of the DNC launches it's first attack on the Republican nominee and the weak kneed shmuck contingent here at FR cheers them on.

I think it was either Huck's campaign or mcCain's campaign. I find it hard believe that any would not wait til within 6 weeks of the election to release this. My guess it's Huckabee's oh so religious people.

Yes, that was the first question out of my hubbie's mouth tonight - is it too late for Romney to come back or win the nomination? We can dream, but it's a longshot. MSNBC is having a field day right now and is ripping McCain to shreds on lots of other issues, besides this story. It has begun.

McCain must now step aside, and Romney needs to get back in. Romney endorsed McCain and sent him his delegates. Now McCain must return the favor. For the good of the party.