The Vicki Iseman corruption scandal just hit the fan for John McCain.
Last week, John McCain was confronted with allegations that he had a sexual affair with Iseman, a lobbyist for telecommunications corporations, as much of John McCain’s staff is now, and that he had done special favors for Iseman’s clients, who had business with McCain’s committee, the Senate Commerce Committee. Senator McCain held a press conference first thing Friday morning to deny that anything wrong at all had taken place.
One of the denials that John McCain made: McCain said on Friday that he had never, ever, ever met with Vicki Iseman and her clients. It didn’t happen even one time, McCain said.
When John McCain said that, he lied.
John McCain’s own words from a 2002 deposition contradict his latest claims. In that deposition, John McCain admitted that he met with Vicki Iseman and her client, Lowell Paxson, to talk about a letter that McCain sent to the FCC, about telecommunications matters, in order to achieve financial advantage for Paxson’s company – Paxson Communications, now ION Media.
Lowell Paxson also says that he went to meet with John McCain, thanks to Vicki Iseman’s influence. “I remember going there to meet with him,” says Paxson. Paxson says he told McCain, “I would love for you to write a letter.”. Paxson also admits that Iseman was probably at the meeting: “Was Vicki there? Probably. The woman was a professional. She was good. She could get us to meetings.”
In his deposition, McCain admitted to being Paxson’s advocate with the FCC: “I said I would be glad to write a letter asking them to act.” In fact, Senator McCain was so eager to do the bidding of Paxson and Iseman that he wrote two letters to the FCC.
Those letters were not regarded as at all typical. In fact, the FCC rebuked John McCain, calling the letters “highly unusual”.
The relationship went both ways. Lowell Paxson did favors for John McCain too. John McCain flew around the country on Paxson’s private jet, doing political business to prepare for this presidential campaign. Paxson also made gave campaign donations to John McCain.
Lowell Paxson’s company owns 60 television stations around the country (see if there’s one in a city near you), poised to influence congressional elections – and the presidential election – in every region of the USA. The company also owns 2 television stations in Washington, D.C., able to exert heavy pressure on inside-the-beltway political opinion.
Isn’t it interesting that John McCain lied to the American people on Friday about the special favors that he did for this company in exerting pressure on the FCC to cave in to Paxson’s demands?
What else is there about his relationship with Lowell Paxson and Vicki Iseman that John McCain is trying to cover up?
In seeking answers to that question, I sought to find out more about Lowell Paxson on the ION Media web page, which promises biographical information about the company’s top executives. I couldn’t get to that information, however, because the ION Media information web page is password protected. “The Pressroom is open only to members of the media,” the page announces.
The media? Meaning employees of telecommunications corporations? Oh, how very convenient.
Post script: In this article, I’ve cited two news sources. One is ABC News, which is affiliated with local television stations around the country, and thus is part of the larger system in which Lowell Paxson does his work. The other is The Guardian/Observer, a British newspaper company that isn’t part of that system. Guess which article gave more damning information about Paxson’s corrupt dealings with McCain? That’s right – it was the Guardian/Observer.
Also, if you’re wondering what kind of programming Lowell Paxson’s telecommunications empire brings you, think about two networks his company: The Home Shopping Network, and PAX, which carries right wing religious programming. That covers the two fundamental blocks of the Republican Party, love of money and Christian evangelism, quite nicely, don’t you think?
Wow!
You all should ditch those really creepy photos. I’m trying to choke back my ralphing right now, and it’s not easy.
What happened to that sourpuss old lady, BTW? I don’t see her wrinkled puss anywhere on this page. I sincerely hope nothing bad has happened to her.
Chemanto!
You’ve got to be kidding. This one gorgeous collection of American Malehood. When I see jClifford’s photo up there, it makes me feel all safe and secure and I want to fall asleep on his shoulder. The picture of Mother Davis makes me want to eat vegetables…and I don’t even like vegetables. What’s wrong with you, Hickster? Physician heal thyself.
And a headline on Yahoo news is that conservatives think Obama lacks patriotism . . .
See, it’s okay for Republicans to trash the economy, lie to us, run a secret fascist government, ignore the Constitution and shelve the Bill of Rights, conduct illegal wiretapping and go running off to preemptive war, but that’s ’cause they’re patriotic! Gotta love that patriotism bullshit.
It’s not just that he ditched the label pin, Tom, I can agree with that. But then there is that video with him standing on a stage with the other candidates and they all have their hands over their hearts during the playing of the national anthem. Obama does not, but he is looking away from the other candidates, so maybe he was ignorant of the correct protocol for the national anthem, or maybe he would have copied them if he had seen what they were doing. But does anyone not know what to do during the national anthem? They teach it in grade school, don’t they? Isn’t that something a future president should know? Or maybe he intentionally looked the other way to have an excuse later.
Then there’s the report that he does not pledge allegiance to the flag. True? I don’t know.
Then there’s his Trinity church with it’s Black values system (they capitalize the word black) and pledging allegiance to Africa. The preacher, who is a personal friend of Obama, has also been quoted as admiring Louis Farrakhan. Whoever writes the Obama website says Obama supports the right of Israel to exist, but….what about that Syrian developer he’s done so many favors for?
Then there’s the recent comment by Michele Obama that the first time she was ever proud of her country was when Obama ran for president–this is someone educated at Harvard who has had more opportunities and privileges than I will ever have.
I just noticed jclifford’s postscript about ABC. I’ve noticed ABC’s bias before but now I know why. But have you noticed how nasty Fox is about McCain?
No, it’s not true that Obama does not pledge allegiance to the flag, Iroquois. You’re spreading malicious rumors that have as much truth as the claim that Obama is Muslim.
The comment by Michele Obama was edited by Fox News to distort its meaning.
Can you find “that video” of Obama standing on a stage with other candidates without his hand over his heart – or have you just heard that such a video exists?
As for the lapel pin – George W. Bush wears one every day. Does that make him a better choice for President than Barack Obama?
This is cheap garbage.
I agree. Cut the crap.
Oh, did I upset your little Holy Cow Obama Worship Frenzy? And you want me to just shut up about Your Prophet, peace be upon Him, in the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate? Oh, bismallah, alramahn, alrahmeen, and بسم الله الرØمن الرØÙŠ too.
Here is the Michelle video
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=50784
How DARE they “move the bar on us”. Whoever “us” is. Whoever “they” is.
Here’s the national anthem video:
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Obama_doesnt_put_hand_over_heart_1022.html
And just for shits, grins, and giggles, here’s Michelle’s Princeton thesis:
http://www.politico.com/pdf/080222_MOPrincetonThesis_1-251.pdf
It’s still crap. Ad hominem crap. It only matters if you’re a sexist who thinks that a man should be judged by the appropriateness of his wife, and it only matters if you’re an ultranationalist who believes that Barack Obama is a traitor for standing for the national anthem but not putting his hand in a particular place.
You want to go into sexist and ultranationalist territory? You have the right. And I have the right to tell you you’re full of crap.
You were the guys who asked for the link to the video. Now when I give it to you, all you can do is call me names.
Have you got a picture of Obama saying the pledge of allegiance? Or do you want me to pretend I don’t hear about this all the time in everyday ordinary conversations?
No I didn’t. I called it crap. I don’t want you to pretend anything. It’s preferable for you to make clear whether you are a sexist and ultranationalist, or just someone who’s so attached to a candidate that any old mud will do.
Then read what I said about it again, Jim, and stop putting words in my mouth.
There’s a lot of circumstantial details that taken together paint a picture of something not quite right. You don’t have an answer other than to call it “mud”? That won’t fly in my neighborhood.
And I don’t pretend YOU are supporting a candidate–you could extend to me the same courtesy you expect for yourself.
It’s a pretty huge stretch to comment fairly on Obama not knowing what the correct protocol is for the national anthem and then having that morphed into “ultranationalism”. If he wants to be the President of the United States, he should both know what to do, and set an example. It certainly could be an honest mistake, such as he was tired, bored, distracted, etc. But it’s still a very decent politcal gaff for a presidential candidate.
And those pix are still turning my stomach. iroquois, hopefully there’s some medication that’s been invented that can help you.
And reading the notes above, I find it funny that Mr. Jimmy tell Iroquois that HE’S speaking “ad hominem crap”, and then later tries to clearly deny it.
His defense of his words: “…No I didn’t. I called it crap…”
What he REALLY said was: “…you’re full of crap….” That’s not a subtle difference; telling someone that they are full of crap, is most definitely a very fine example of a ad hominem argument. Seems pretty hypocritical to accuse someone else of something that you do in the very next breath.
I don’t think there’s any real evidence that Obama (or his wife if that mattered at all) lacks patriotism. They both seem to be more guilty of campaign fatigue and saying and/or doing stupid stuff that they should know better than. He and his people know that everything they say is being so carefully watched and scrutinized that it’s not funny. If you give an obviously vicious enemy any openings, they are going to exploit them.
Jim likes to use ad hom‘s when he runs out of sound arguments. It’s part of his Bad Boy persona that no woman can resist.
But I suspect that you, Doc, are carrying a torch for that Mother Davis person. You don’t know if she’s married though–or maybe YOU’RE married. On second thought, after all the nasty things you said about her, I don’t think you’re her type at all.
Campaign fatigue or not, why is Michelle talking about “us” and “them”? She seems so sure someone somewhere is persecuting her. Who? And what would that mean about the tone of an Obama white house? The joke is that they will paint it black. Isn’t the president supposed to be the president of everyone? And google their church–you have to wonder what the Obama family really thinks after attending this church and listening to their stuff for so many years. Our nation has no patience for racism anymore–unless it is perpetrated by blacks.
I’ve said before that Obama is JFK, and some pundits are now calling him the first black Kennedy, but look at the video of Michelle in post #8. Is she Jackie? Camelot, anyone?