Top Items:
New York Times:
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:
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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 …
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:
Crooks and Liars, Pandagon, NY Daily News, Democrats.com, American Street, The Corner, Talking Points Memo, JustOneMinute, The New Republic, PSoTD and Firedoglake
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 …
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:
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.
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 …
Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Slimes At The Times — The New York Times launches its long-awaited smear of John McCain today, and the most impressive aspect of the smear is just how baseless it is. They basically emulate Page Six at the Post, but add in a rehash of a well-known scandal from twenty years ago to pad it out and make it look more impressive.
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 …
Ana Marie Cox / TIME: Swampland:
McCain Senior Adviser Responds to Times Story — Mark Salter, John McCain's obstreperous senior aide, just responded to Time's query about the New York Times's long-simmering McCain-mixed-up-with-lobbyists story. — Speaking from a parking garage in Toledo, where the campaign is overnighting …
Quin Hillyer / American Spectator:
Who is John McCain? — Here's the deal, folks: The New York Times …
Who is John McCain? — Here's the deal, folks: The New York Times …
NewsMax.com:
Inside Cover — Bennett Slams NY Times Hit Job on McCain
Inside Cover — Bennett Slams NY Times Hit Job on McCain
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
Thom Shanker / New York Times:
Officials Review Weather to Plan Shooting Down of Satellite — WASHINGTON — The many moving parts of a mission to shoot down a dying spy satellite with an antimissile interceptor lined up Wednesday after the space shuttle Atlantis returned to Earth, officials said.
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John McCormick / Baltimore Sun:
Even blowing his nose, Obama gets applause — DALLAS - It's probably safe to say that you have arrived as a politician when your audience applauds when you blow your nose. — Yes, just a day before a debate in Texas, Sen. Barack Obama has a head cold. — And about a half-hour into a speech here …
The Editorial Board:
Democrats Obama, Clinton star in high-stakes Austin debate — Austin gets an unexpected turn as the center of the American political universe tonight as Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York face each other in debate on the University of Texas campus (7 p.m., CNN).
Jesse McKinley / New York Times:
Web Legal Scholar Considers Run for House — SAN FRANCISCO — Lawrence Lessig, the Web legal scholar, said Wednesday that he was mulling a campaign for the House of Representatives, a move that could pit the Internet icon in a race against a Democratic loyalist.