McCain’s Timely Phone Call

© 2008 Stan Spire


The latest stink: the New York Times published an article linking Republican candidate John McCain in a possibly “romantic” way with a female lobbyist back in 1999 and 2000.

Aides advised McCain to maintain his distance. After all, he was making what would be his first run for the White House, trying to win the nomination of the Republican Party.

But the issue of adultery isn’t the primary problem. The real controversy it’s whether or not the lobbyist used her feminine wiles to influence Senator McCain to favor the people she was representing.

Some think that the whole thing is a smear campaign, an outright lie, committed by a vast left-wing conspiracy. Or maybe a disgruntled party member or aide was telling the truth – or maybe not. Once again, we enter the gray area of politics.

McCain was stumping in Vermont on Valentine’s Day. Of course, Vermont is known to be a freethinking state – look at Bernie Sanders and Pat Leahy. Also, according to one list, Vermont – even though it’s a relatively small state in size and population – has suffered greatly in the number of soldier deaths per capita in Iraq. It’s ranks #4, right behind the US territories of American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and US Virgin Islands.

But there are still conservatives to be won in the Green Mountain State, despite its reputation of being a hippie domain.

After a rally a reporter from a Vermont TeeVee station interviewed McCain. The candidate paused to receive a phone call from his wife. She was calling to inform him that their son had arrived home safely after military duty in Iraq. That moment ended up being broadcast on the local news.

Did you known that McCain had a son in Iraq? I didn’t. But thanks to that phone call I was made aware that McCain’s son wasn’t a chickenhawk, serving safely at home like a certain politically connected boob did back during the Vietnam War thanks to his daddy. (Hint: Said boob’s initials are GWB.)

That said, the timing of that phone call does make one wonder, especially after that incident with Rudy Giuliani back in September 2007. Rudy was speaking at a NRA gathering when he received a phone call via a cell phone from his wife, Judith. It was a humanizing moment that made him look less than the prick that some claim he really is.

There was controversy whether the phone call was staged, perfectly time to get the attention of the media.

Do I think the McCain good news call was staged? After all, many Vermonters are upset about the dead end war in Iraq (AKA Vietnam II), especially with so many lives wasted. Such a call might change a few minds.

Was it a set up? I don’t know.

But it wouldn’t surprise me.

Hey, it’s politics, gray area and all.




Link: www.wcax.com “McCain Visits Vermont: Can He Woo Voters?”