A Flaw In the Ointment
Sen. McCain is a maverick. He told us so. So mavericky is he that he disdains lobbyists and what they have done to Congress. Except when they are lobbying him, that is.
McCain's campaign has already condemned this article in the NY Times as a hatchet job, and it's not hard to understand why. Mr. Maverick, Mr. I Hate Lobbyists, Mr. Purity in Government seems to have a weak spot, and it is that weak spot that the NY Times details.
Senator John McCain was on a roll. In a room reserved for high-stakes gamblers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table. When the marathon session ended around 2:30 a.m., the Arizona senator and his entourage emerged with thousands of dollars in winnings.
A lifelong gambler, Mr. McCain takes risks, both on and off the craps table. He was throwing dice that night not long after his failed 2000 presidential bid, in which he was skewered by the Republican Party’s evangelical base, opponents of gambling. Mr. McCain was betting at a casino he oversaw as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and he was doing so with the lobbyist who represents that casino, according to three associates of Mr. McCain. ...
As factions of the ferociously competitive gambling industry have vied for an edge, they have found it advantageous to cultivate a relationship with Mr. McCain or hire someone who has one, according to an examination based on more than 70 interviews and thousands of pages of documents.
Mr. McCain portrays himself as a Washington maverick unswayed by special interests, referring recently to lobbyists as “birds of prey.” Yet in his current campaign, more than 40 fund-raisers and top advisers have lobbied or worked for an array of gambling interests — including tribal and Las Vegas casinos, lottery companies and online poker purveyors.
The NY Times article goes into great detail about McCain's connections to the gambling industry, both tribal and non-tribal, and that alone makes the long article worth the read. What is of especial note, however, is that once again the connections are made viable through the efforts of the very lobbyists he descries as "birds of prey."
Nice job, NY Times. More like this, please.
McCain's campaign has already condemned this article in the NY Times as a hatchet job, and it's not hard to understand why. Mr. Maverick, Mr. I Hate Lobbyists, Mr. Purity in Government seems to have a weak spot, and it is that weak spot that the NY Times details.
Senator John McCain was on a roll. In a room reserved for high-stakes gamblers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table. When the marathon session ended around 2:30 a.m., the Arizona senator and his entourage emerged with thousands of dollars in winnings.
A lifelong gambler, Mr. McCain takes risks, both on and off the craps table. He was throwing dice that night not long after his failed 2000 presidential bid, in which he was skewered by the Republican Party’s evangelical base, opponents of gambling. Mr. McCain was betting at a casino he oversaw as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and he was doing so with the lobbyist who represents that casino, according to three associates of Mr. McCain. ...
As factions of the ferociously competitive gambling industry have vied for an edge, they have found it advantageous to cultivate a relationship with Mr. McCain or hire someone who has one, according to an examination based on more than 70 interviews and thousands of pages of documents.
Mr. McCain portrays himself as a Washington maverick unswayed by special interests, referring recently to lobbyists as “birds of prey.” Yet in his current campaign, more than 40 fund-raisers and top advisers have lobbied or worked for an array of gambling interests — including tribal and Las Vegas casinos, lottery companies and online poker purveyors.
The NY Times article goes into great detail about McCain's connections to the gambling industry, both tribal and non-tribal, and that alone makes the long article worth the read. What is of especial note, however, is that once again the connections are made viable through the efforts of the very lobbyists he descries as "birds of prey."
Nice job, NY Times. More like this, please.
Labels: Corruption, Election 2008
posted by Diane at 3:45 AM
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