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stated that a romantic affair ever occurred. Its real theme centered on McCain's failure to follow his own high ethical standards. The piece opined that the high comfort level, between the two, reeked of impropriety. Don't forget, Iseman's job consisted of convincing Senator McCain to legislatively assist her clients. The reporters, relying on largely anonymous sources, close to the senator, wrote that staffers/ advisers became "convinced that the relationship had become romantic. Some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself." The reporters insist that many of the instances, they document, were corroborated. Apparently, Iseman's presence grew so invasive that one staffer, according to the article, wondered "why is she always around?"

The reporters then devote 4 paragraphs to McCain's rise as an ethics crusader. McCain became the catalyst for serious campaign reform. Democratic Senator Russ Feingold became his collaborator on this issue. Then the reporters expose a nagging paradox. They argue that, regarding lobbyists, McCain isn't very different from other Congressmen and women. He has frequently utilized special interest corporate jets for traveling. Only an uninformed fool would declare this type of scrutiny below the belt. McCain supporters accuse the New York Times of "Swift boating" the Senator. The comparison is both insulting and sickening. The right wing media's attack on John Kerry's Vietnam record stayed in the news cycle for months. The Swift boater's accusations were based on lies and hearsay. All of Kerry's former unit mates, except the devious Larry Thurlow, backed his version of events. In fact, official military documents exonerated Senator Kerry. How soon we forget. The Times' piece is far more factual.

The most potentially destructive, yet least mentioned, content regards the Keating Savings and Loan Scandal. This event nearly wrecked the Straight Talk Express candidate's career. Swaths of space are dedicated to painfully reviewing this black eye on the Senator's record. A younger McCain became close with businessman Charles Keating. The banker needed help keeping regulators at bay. Keating enlisted 5 powerful senators, including McCain, to drive a wedge between the Feds and Keating's ill advised investment opportunities. Of course, Keating lost everything, causing a banking crisis bailed out with millions of tax payer dollars. Keating's name is mentioned at least 5 times more often than Iseman's. Disgruntled Times'

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