memeorandum: WAS JOHN MCCAIN GETTING ‘LOBBIED’ BY A WOMAN 30 YEARS HIS JUNIOR? (RADAR)

4:00 AM ET, February 21, 2008

Top Items:

For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses Its Own Risk — WASHINGTON — 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.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Attytood, Hullabaloo, Washington Monthly, Washington Wire, American Spectator, Megan McArdle, The New Republic, NewsBusters.org, Political Radar, The Campaign Spot, TalkLeft, You Decide 08!, NO QUARTER, Firedoglake, Patterico's Pontifications, Reason Magazine, Daily Kos, Political Machine, Pandagon, Wonkette, Riehl World View, TownHall Blog, Emptywheel, Salon, DownWithTyranny!, Gateway Pundit, The Moderate Voice, Shakespeare's Sister, the talking dog, Bang the Drum, Open Left, Left in the West, AMERICAblog, PERRspectives Blog, Jules Crittenden, Don Surber, Prairie Weather, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, TBogg, The Democratic Daily, Commentary, Booman Tribune, FOX Embeds, Pensito Review, McCain Central, Sister Toldjah, MyDD, No More Mister Nice Blog, Oliver Willis, michellemalkin.com, PrestoPundit, JammieWearingFool, BlueOregon, Calitics, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Brains and Eggs, Blue Crab Boulevard, Taylor Marsh, IntoxiNation, Random Thoughts from Reno, The Impolitic, The Gun Toting Liberal™ and Corrente

Washington Post:

McCain's Ties To Lobbyist Worried Aides — Before 2000 Campaign, Advisers Tried to Bar Her — Aides to Sen. John McCain confronted a telecommunications lobbyist in late 1999 and asked her to distance herself from the senator during the presidential campaign he was about to launch …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, JustOneMinute, Crooks and Liars, The New Republic, Firedoglake, Daily Kos and PSoTD

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

THE MCCAIN STORY — This afternoon, before the Times story came out, I was working on a post about national political reporters' tendency not to give much of any scrutiny to various McCain flipflops, contradictions and bamboozlements. Obviously, the terrain has changed a bit since …

Discussion: Eschaton, The RBC and Rolling Stone

Noam Scheiber / The New Republic:

Bonus TNR Angle on the McCain Story — The McCain campaign is apparently blaming TNR for forcing the Times' hand on this story. We can't yet confirm that. But we can say this: TNR correspondent Gabe Sherman is working on a piece about the Times' foot-dragging on the McCain story …

Discussion: protein wisdom

Rich Lowry / The Corner:

First-Blush Reaction — The Times doesn't have the goods—at least from what's in the story—and shouldn't have run it. Let's be honest: this story is all about the alleged affair, and all the Keating Five and campaign finance reform re-hash is window dressing. A key passage:

Discussion: The New Republic

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

NYT: McCain may have behaved unethically and cheated on his wife, but we're not sure; Update: Pressured by the New Republic? Update: McCain responds; Update: Carl Cameron video added; Update: TNR confirms? Update: WaPo piles on — A sex scandal that may not be a scandal tucked inside …

Discussion: The Sundries Shack

Mary Katharine Ham / TownHall Blog:

What's the Quickest Way to Rally Conservatives 'Round McCain? — A sandbagging from the NYT of just this skeezy a nature. — This doesn't reflect badly on anyone but the Times, as far as I'm concerned. The innuendo and full-on craptastic nature of the lede alone is enough to damn …

Hindrocket / Power Line:

THE TIMES UPHOLDS ITS STANDARDS — The New York Times smears John McCain in tomorrow's paper, accusing him of ethics violations and insinuating that he had an affair with a lobbyist. What is most striking, though, if you actually read the story, is how thin it is.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Attytood and protein wisdom

RADAR:

WAS JOHN MCCAIN GETTING ‘LOBBIED’ BY A WOMAN 30 YEARS HIS JUNIOR? — This evening the New York Times posted a 3,000 word takedown of Senator John McCain's ethics—and a possibly inappropriate relationship with a female lobbyist—after rival publications became aware of the details of the story …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org and American Spectator

Marc Ambinder:
McCain/Lobbyist Story In The New York Times Finally Drops

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, Atlas Shrugs and The New Republic

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo: MCCAIN CAMPAIGN ISSUES STATEMENT

Noam Scheiber / The New Republic: McCain Bombshell

Ana Marie Cox / TIME: Swampland:
McCain Senior Adviser Responds to Times Story

Discussion: Washington Monthly

NewsMax.com: Inside Cover — Bennett Slams NY Times Hit Job on McCain

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
NYT prints allegation of McCain relationship

Discussion: protein wisdom and Macsmind

Jeralyn / TalkLeft:
McCain Slams NY Times Article Linking Him to Female Lobbyist

Discussion: McCain Central

Texas Senator Kirk Watson:

MSNBC and Me — On Tuesday night, after an important and historic victory in the Wisconsin Presidential Primary by Senator Barack Obama, I appeared on the MSNBC post-election program. “Hardball” host Chris Matthews (who is, it turns out, as ferocious as they say), began grilling me on Senator Obama's legislative record.

Hilzoy / The Daily Dish:
Dear Chris Matthews: Please Do Your Job

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Swamp, Newsweek Blogs, Weekly Standard and The Democratic Daily

Media Matters for America:

O'Reilly: “I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels" — During the February 19 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, Bill O'Reilly took a call from a listener who said of Michelle Obama …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars, Los Angeles Times, Talking Points Memo, The Agitator, Shakespeare's Sister, Taylor Marsh, Wonkette, News Hounds, Pam's House Blend, Associated Press and Daily Kos

CNN:

Michelle Obama clarifies: I've always loved my country — (CNN) - Michelle Obama said Wednesday she has always loved America, seeking to quell the firestorm over her comment earlier in the week that seemed to suggest she is only now proud to be an American.

Discussion: GINA COBB, Spin Cycle and PERRspectives Blog

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Clinton's Blueprint — A trio of senior advisers to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (N.Y.) presidential campaign held a conference call this afternoon to lay out what they believe is a blueprint that — over the next two weeks — will restore the race for the nomination to rough parity between …

Discussion: The Democratic Daily, Power Line and Wonkette

ABCNEWS:
Bill Clinton: Texas Could Be Hillary's Last Stand

Discussion: Political Radar

Mike Allen / The Politico:
Obama camp slams Clinton ‘lunacy’

Discussion: The Raw Story

Sarah Lyall / New York Times:

Use of Private Care Tests British Health System — LONDON — Created 60 years ago as a cornerstone of the British welfare state, the National Health Service is devoted to the principle of free medical care for everyone. But recently it has been wrestling with a problem its founders never anticipated …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Democracy Project, Megan McArdle, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Redstate

Spiegel Online:

Danish Caricaturist of Muhammad Fame Now Homeless — Two years ago Kurt Westergaard was in his Copenhagen home drawing pictures. One of them was of the Muslim prophet, Muhammad. Now Westergaard is homeless. — Draw a picture offensive to Muslim extremists, and you might find yourself without a roof.

Discussion: Hot Air, The Jawa Report and Captain's Quarters

Thomas W. / tbo.com:

TIA Passenger Had Box Cutter In Hollowed-Out Book — A security officer at Tampa International Airport found a box cutter hidden in a hollowed-out book on Sunday. — TAMPA — A 21-year-old Clearwater man was arrested at Tampa International Airport this weekend after security personnel found …

Discussion: Power Line, Captain's Quarters, michellemalkin.com, Atlas Shrugs, Jihad Watch, Wake up America and Little Green Footballs

Robert Burns / Associated Press:

Navy Missile Hits Spy Satellite — WASHINGTON (AP) - A missile launched from a Navy ship successfully struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday, a defense official said. Full details were not immediately available. — It happened just after 10:30 p.m. EST.

Discussion: Redstate and Jules Crittenden

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:

Attacking Obama — I am tapping out my link-free cocktail party talking points of probable attack lines against Obama. Help me out! — 1. Can We Settle For Picking A President, Not A Messiah? — It's wonderful that Mr. Audacity of Hope has got Scarlett Johannson all acquiver …

Discussion: Sadly, No! and Patterico's Pontifications