Letter From America
Scandal hits McCain, Hillary fades
Pickering: "Excuse the straight question, Higgins. Are you a man of good character where women are concerned?"
Higgins: "Have you ever met a man of good character where women are concerned?"
George Bernard Shaw: Pygmalion, Act II APPARENTLY, the extramarital love bug had bit the presumed Republican nominee, Senator John McCain, eight years ago. According to a front-page story in The New York Times on February 21, during his first presidential run in 2000, candidate McCain's staffers had to intervene to keep him away from a female lobbyist. Married for the second time in 1980, John McCain was 63 in 2000, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 30. Senator McCain was the chairman of the powerful Senate Commerce Committee, and the McCain staffers told The New York Times that, in exchange for sexual favours, Mr. McCain did some business favours for the telecommunications company Ms. Iseman lobbied for. Both Senator McCain and Ms. Iseman flatly denied the allegations. Being romantically involved with a female lobbyist is not a crime. However, it does not bode well for someone like Mr. McCain who espouses family values. This will provide added fuel to his detractors who accuse McCain of "hypocrisy." If it can be proven that Senator McCain misused his Senatorial powers for sexual favours, it is a very serious allegation with the potential to destroy his candidacy. In the short run, Republicans of all shades have rallied around McCain and have ganged up on The New York Times. They questioned the Times' journalistic ethics, its motives and the timing. The Times said that it was fully satisfied with the authenticity of its unnamed sources, that the McCain campaign had not contradicted the paper's claim, and that it was the McCain aides who had talked to the paper about the "affair." It may be recalled that last month The New York Times endorsed Senator John McCain for the president among the Republican candidates. Philandering by US presidents is nothing new. The woman present at President Franklin D. Roosevelt's deathbed was not his wife! General Dwight Eisenhower's affair with his British chauffer, Kay Summersby, is well documented. President Kennedy's multiple affairs with famous actresses of his time are common knowledge. To this day, people queue up to have their DNA tested to prove they are President Lyndon B Johnson's children! Of course, everybody remembers Monica. Getting involved in sex scandals before winning the nomination or presidency can spell disaster. Democratic front-runner Senator Gary Hart dared the press to delve into his personal affairs in 1987. They did; complete with a front-page photograph in the National Enquirer, of a model, Donna Rice, on the Senator's lap on a boat appropriately named, "Monkey Business." That was the end of Gary Hart's quest for presidency. Through his categorical denials, Senator John McCain has left himself little wiggle room. If more sources come forward and corroborate the allegations, Senator McCain may be forced to pull a Gary Hart. Since Super Tuesday (February 5), Senator Barack Obama has won eleven primaries and caucuses in a row. And they have been blowouts. On February 19, Obama won Wisconsin primary by 58 to 41%, his home state of Hawaii by 76% to 24% and the Americans abroad by 65% to 35%. Mathematically, it is almost impossible for Hillary Clinton to win more pledged delegates than Barack Obama. With Obama winning every contest with lopsided margins, the only way Clinton can hope to win is thematically. She has to convince the Democratic Party voters that she is the only one who can beat John McCain. That will be a hard sell, because most Democratic voters believe that Obama has a better shot at beating McCain than Clinton has. Nevertheless, in their debate at the University of Texas at Austin on February 21, Hillary Clinton tried her best to label Obama as someone full of words, in contrast to herself, "full of solutions." As she tried to accuse Obama of plagiarism, she was booed! Although she scored points on health care, she failed to deliver a knockout punch, and Obama did not help her with any gaffes. Asked about super-delegates, Obama said that they should not overturn the will of the primary and caucuses voters. A tired Hillary concurred, saying something like, "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever will be, will be)." At this point, she seemed resigned to her fate. "I am honoured" to be in the presence of Barack Obama, she said, adding wistfully, "whatever happens, we will be fine."
George Bernard Shaw: Pygmalion, Act II APPARENTLY, the extramarital love bug had bit the presumed Republican nominee, Senator John McCain, eight years ago. According to a front-page story in The New York Times on February 21, during his first presidential run in 2000, candidate McCain's staffers had to intervene to keep him away from a female lobbyist. Married for the second time in 1980, John McCain was 63 in 2000, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 30. Senator McCain was the chairman of the powerful Senate Commerce Committee, and the McCain staffers told The New York Times that, in exchange for sexual favours, Mr. McCain did some business favours for the telecommunications company Ms. Iseman lobbied for. Both Senator McCain and Ms. Iseman flatly denied the allegations. Being romantically involved with a female lobbyist is not a crime. However, it does not bode well for someone like Mr. McCain who espouses family values. This will provide added fuel to his detractors who accuse McCain of "hypocrisy." If it can be proven that Senator McCain misused his Senatorial powers for sexual favours, it is a very serious allegation with the potential to destroy his candidacy. In the short run, Republicans of all shades have rallied around McCain and have ganged up on The New York Times. They questioned the Times' journalistic ethics, its motives and the timing. The Times said that it was fully satisfied with the authenticity of its unnamed sources, that the McCain campaign had not contradicted the paper's claim, and that it was the McCain aides who had talked to the paper about the "affair." It may be recalled that last month The New York Times endorsed Senator John McCain for the president among the Republican candidates. Philandering by US presidents is nothing new. The woman present at President Franklin D. Roosevelt's deathbed was not his wife! General Dwight Eisenhower's affair with his British chauffer, Kay Summersby, is well documented. President Kennedy's multiple affairs with famous actresses of his time are common knowledge. To this day, people queue up to have their DNA tested to prove they are President Lyndon B Johnson's children! Of course, everybody remembers Monica. Getting involved in sex scandals before winning the nomination or presidency can spell disaster. Democratic front-runner Senator Gary Hart dared the press to delve into his personal affairs in 1987. They did; complete with a front-page photograph in the National Enquirer, of a model, Donna Rice, on the Senator's lap on a boat appropriately named, "Monkey Business." That was the end of Gary Hart's quest for presidency. Through his categorical denials, Senator John McCain has left himself little wiggle room. If more sources come forward and corroborate the allegations, Senator McCain may be forced to pull a Gary Hart. Since Super Tuesday (February 5), Senator Barack Obama has won eleven primaries and caucuses in a row. And they have been blowouts. On February 19, Obama won Wisconsin primary by 58 to 41%, his home state of Hawaii by 76% to 24% and the Americans abroad by 65% to 35%. Mathematically, it is almost impossible for Hillary Clinton to win more pledged delegates than Barack Obama. With Obama winning every contest with lopsided margins, the only way Clinton can hope to win is thematically. She has to convince the Democratic Party voters that she is the only one who can beat John McCain. That will be a hard sell, because most Democratic voters believe that Obama has a better shot at beating McCain than Clinton has. Nevertheless, in their debate at the University of Texas at Austin on February 21, Hillary Clinton tried her best to label Obama as someone full of words, in contrast to herself, "full of solutions." As she tried to accuse Obama of plagiarism, she was booed! Although she scored points on health care, she failed to deliver a knockout punch, and Obama did not help her with any gaffes. Asked about super-delegates, Obama said that they should not overturn the will of the primary and caucuses voters. A tired Hillary concurred, saying something like, "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever will be, will be)." At this point, she seemed resigned to her fate. "I am honoured" to be in the presence of Barack Obama, she said, adding wistfully, "whatever happens, we will be fine."
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