Drive-by Shooting

The New York Times smeared GOP candidate John McCain in a story rehashing old material on the Keating Scandal and suggesting an unethical relationship with a younger female lobbyist. No substantiation was offered for the alleged unethical relationship other than second-hand quotes from unnamed staffers. Even those were more suggestive of concern over the lobbyist than the candidate.

Today, McCain slammed the NYT in a press conference, his younger (second) wife at his side.

Townhall.com reported this from an interview on Faux News:

Bob Bennett, a high-profile Democratic attorney who represented former President Bill Clinton during the Paula Jones scandal and has investigated McCain’s Senate Ethics activities said the story was “shameless, just shameless” on Fox's "Hannity & Colmes" Wednesday night.

Bennett said, “I'm in a pretty unique position to talk about John McCain. First, I should tell your listeners I'm a registered Democrat, so I'm not on his side of a lot of issues. But I investigated John McCain for a year and a half, at least, when I was special counsel to the Senate Ethics Committee in the Keating Five, which, by the way, this ‘New York Times’ article goes back to and discusses, goes back years and years. And if there is one thing I am absolutely confident of, it is John McCain is an honest and honest man. I recommended to the Senate Ethics Committee that he be cut out of the case, that there was no evidence against him, and I think for the ‘New York Times’ to dig this up just shows that Senator McCain's public statement about this is correct. It's a smear job. I'm sorry.”

By the way, didn't the Times endorse McCain in the GOP primary?

I had a friend like that once.

But I ramble. The interesting thing to me is that this story seems to be more about the NYT than about McCain. I was watching CNN election coverage last night and tuned-in in the middle of an extended segment on the ethics of the New York Times for running 'the story.' I didn't know what 'the story was' and never didn't find out until the top of the next hour. Unless this lobbyist comes forward with some revelation, I think that this story has no legs.

Well, 'legs' might not be the best term...but you understand.