What is Digg?140 Comments
- 0Xonox0, on 08/03/2008, -7/+116"Those who survive will be the sociopaths who can tell a lie with the most sincere, straight face. You, John McCain are especially adept at this."
- sturmgiest, on 08/03/2008, -7/+113Strange, the media hasn't mentioned Mccain's involvement in the Keating Five at any time in the campaign so far. (sarcastically scratches head)
- spinchange, on 08/03/2008, -6/+76This is eerily prescient:
"Like the old song, that now seems "Long ago and far away." Since Keating's collapse, you find yourself doing obscene things to save yourself from the Senate Ethics Committee's investigation. As a matter of course, you engage in backbiting behavior that will turn you into an outcast in the Senate if you do survive."
And thus, a 'maverick' was born - artc, on 08/03/2008, -4/+59And McCain has been a media celebrity ever since.
He's great at crafting an image of himself as whistleblower rather than corrupt politician, as war hero rather than collaborator, as maverick rather than Bush follower. - inactive, on 08/03/2008, -9/+56FTA: "You won't let anyone forget that you were a prisoner of war. But you have played that tune too long. By now your constant reminders about your war record make you seem like a modern version of Arthur Miller's tragic failure Willy Loman."
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Wes Clark tried to bring up this point and he was demonized by the media, and then Obama threw him under the bus. - chrissku, on 08/03/2008, -3/+47As the S&L failure deepened, the sheer magnitude of the losses hit the press. Billions of dollars had been squandered. The Keating Five became shorthand for the kind of political influence that money can buy. The five senators were linked as the gang who went to bat for an S&L bandit.
S&L ''trading cards'' came out. The Keating Five card showed Charles Keating holding up his hand, with a senator's head adorning each finger. McCain was on Keating's pinkie.
As the Keating investigation dragged through 1988, McCain dodged the body blows. Most landed on DeConcini, who had arranged the meetings and had other close ties to Keating, including $50 million in loans from Keating to DeConcini's aides.
But McCain made a critical error.
In spinning his side of the Keating story, McCain adopted the blanket defense that Keating was a constituent and that he had every right to ask his senators for help. In attending the meetings, McCain said, he simply wanted to make sure that Keating was treated like any other constituent.
Keating was far more than a constituent to McCain, however.
On Oct. 8, 1989, The Republic revealed that McCain's wife and her father had invested $359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators.
The paper also reported that the McCains, sometimes accompanied by their daughter and baby-sitter, had made at least nine trips at Keating's expense, sometimes aboard the American Continental jet. Three of trips were made during vacations to Keating's opulent Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay.
McCain also did not pay Keating for the trips until years after they were taken, when he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln. Total cost: $13,433.
When the story broke, McCain did nothing to help himself. When reporters first called him, he was furious. Caught out in the open, the former fighter pilot let go with a barrage of cover fire. Sen. Hothead came out in all his glory.
''You're a liar,''' McCain snapped Sept. 29 when a Republic reporter asked him about business ties between his wife and Keating.
''That's the spouse's involvement, you idiot,'' McCain said later in the same conversation. ''You do understand English, don't you?''
He also belittled the reporters when they asked about his wife's ties to Keating.
''It's up to you to find that out, kids.''
And then he played the POW card.
''Even the Vietnamese didn't question my ethics,'' McCain said.
http://www.wmsa.net/People/john_mccain/ariz-republ ... - GorfTron, on 08/03/2008, -5/+48It is much more important to fully explore how much like Britney and Moses that Obama is. Right, media?
- bjornski, on 08/03/2008, -2/+24It's about god-damned time someone brought this up!
- bstm300, on 08/03/2008, -3/+22I'm never heard of this story before. I should look more into it.
- bjornski, on 08/03/2008, -1/+19Or the other big family name that was highly involved in the S&Ls going boom.
Bush.
Neil walked away with a ***** bundle. - spinchange, on 08/03/2008, -2/+20I just love how McCain's past is Obama's fault. This is an article from a Phoenix newspaper from 1989. Is the new McCain slogan now:
"I'm rubber, you're glue. What bounces off me, sticks to you..na, na, nah, boo, boo" - Infidelcastr0, on 08/03/2008, -5/+22Ahh yes, John McCain and his shady history with the savings and loan crisis. Now we're in the wake of another financial crisis (due to imprudent lending and deregulation) and this man has a serious chance of becoming president. Yup, we must be in America all right.
- Raddix, on 08/03/2008, -4/+19Yea, we're stuck using documented events in the past as so called "evidence" of misconduct. Good thing we have forward thinking republicans to protect us from our silly ways. Seriously, since when have prior events ever been relevant to anything, much less in backing a candidate for such a high public office?
- CanIGetAWitness, on 08/03/2008, -6/+20Cleared of all charges doesn't mean you're not guilty in this good ol' boys world, so please enlighten the young with your knowledge.
BTW: I'm 38 - cenuiij, on 08/03/2008, -7/+20TLDR: McCain helped his chronies steal $4 billion
- spinchange, on 08/03/2008, -5/+18by 'trash' you mean a newspaper editorial from the largest city in his home state, that was published at the time it was all actually happening?
- spinchange, on 08/03/2008, -1/+14historical context is good, not bad, thing
- marabout40, on 08/03/2008, -1/+13What Clark said was that he doesn't see how being shot down in a fighter plane make you fit to be president. He was responding to a direct question from Bob Schieffer (sp?).
- bjornski, on 08/03/2008, -6/+16*wink wink*
*nudge nudge*
Say no more.... - booyahbitch, on 08/03/2008, -4/+14Yeah....in order to really understand what McCain got away with, you would have to been there...not just alive, but actually in the state of Arizona...like I was, and yes, I am old, so I DO remember. He is a thief and liar, but hey, who cares, he was a war hero...right? WRONG!
- bjornski, on 08/03/2008, -2/+11I was spitting ***** nails as it happened.
So no, I"m not going to give this "hero" the benefit of the doubt.
But he has Greenspan's book and listens to Phil Gramm.
That makes me feel MUCH better.
Yeah. - GamerVer05, on 08/03/2008, -6/+1519 year old news?
- stellamaris, on 08/03/2008, -3/+12You said this on some other McCain story. But you're right.
- Echota, on 01/05/2009, -5/+13This is the Real McCain folk's!
Yeah I know you don't want to admit it,never the less, this is McSame! - toetagger, on 08/04/2008, -1/+8I guess this is what he means by, "experience".
- inactive, on 08/04/2008, -1/+8McCain crashed 5 jets, plus was responsible for the Forrestal fire. Something made the plane behind McCain fire a rocket, which hit McCain's external center fuel tank, and caused a fire. McCain panicked, and dropped two bombs into the fire.
Surviving crewmen of the USS Forestal and those who investigated the Forrestal fire case reported that McCain deliberately 'wet-started' his A-4E Skyhawk to shake up the guy in the F-4 Phantom behind his plane.
'Wet-starts', done either deliberately (the starter motor switch allowed kerosene to pool in the engine and give a wet start) or accidentally, shoot a large flame from the tail of the aircraft.'Wet starting' was a common practice among young 'hot-dog' pilots.
In McCain's case, the 'wet-start''cooked off' and launched the M34 Zuni rocket from the rear F-4 that punctured the Skyhawk's fueltank, knocked the M-65 1000 lb bomb off it's 500 lb rated mount, and touched off the explosions and massive fire.
When the carrier Oriskany came along side, and McCain was put in a chopper and whisked away. McCain was the only Forrestal crewman to be immediately transferred .I have a hunch McCain left for his own safety, because the crew wanted blood. - barbiesnow, on 08/03/2008, -0/+7And now..the rest of the story...his son works(ed) for a bank, just resigned last week...he must know more than is being reported which is next to nothing..
- bjornski, on 08/03/2008, -1/+8And as relevant as ever.
- roosevans, on 08/04/2008, -2/+8You better believe someone in the Obama campaign monitors DIGG and picked up on this link! Obama will bring out the "Keating Five" incident before this campaign is over, in my opinion.
- bunit03057, on 08/03/2008, -0/+6You've been watching too many war movies.
- kinerry, on 08/03/2008, -3/+8if we elect john mccain in november, you'll see blood in the streets
- zombies187, on 08/03/2008, -0/+5McCain sounds like a 'McCain points' digger here.
- chrissku, on 08/03/2008, -6/+11I hope MSNBC picks this up and does a nice Keating 5 story this week. This is perfect fodder for Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow. Why is John McCain not being questioned in depth about this scandal???
- spinchange, on 08/03/2008, -3/+8Clark was piled on because he was comparing himself & his national security experience to McCain's, and he is not, nor should be the focus of attention. His criticisms were largely perceived to inadvertently make Obama look bad, because if you discount McCain's war record and 25 year history as being "weak on National Security" as Clark did, what does that say or do for Obama whose been in the Senate for less the 4 years?
At best, his reasoning is at odds with the everyone's perception of the campaign narrative, at worst it sounded like he was trying to make a case for himself being the only qualified VP candidate. You can't openly opine and jockey for the job -in front of the media- in this way. - Urbalist, on 08/03/2008, -1/+6Nuff said..
- bluesman3535, on 08/03/2008, -1/+6He should hammer McCain in any way possible instead of bragging about a 2nd term victory already. The 'Keating Five' was another 80's version of the Enron loophole. If McCain voted yes on the Enron loophole and Obama exploits that, linking a pattern with past unethical actions McCain is finished.
- CanIGetAWitness, on 08/03/2008, -4/+9Not at all, I'm not an insider to the situation so I'm stuck in the same ignorant position you are.
I just repute your suggestion that if someone is "cleared of all charges", it must be true. Now if you need some evidence of that behavior in our political system, I can provide.
Then you generalize diggers as "young" and suggest they read up on their history (as if an article from 1989 is not history) while calling this article trash.
If you're going to denounce an historical article as trash and suggest the young diggers to read up on history, you should provide some of that "history" for the youngsters to read. - hwy9nightkid, on 08/03/2008, -0/+4I heard it in the news on FOX, but they kind of glossed over what it was...Im too young to know, but I am voting for Obama, and find this article a bit presumptuous. Many people know about it, but maybe its best the news channels just do like a marathon show of each persons past, so no one can bitch and complain about stuff like this.
- readacook, on 08/03/2008, -0/+4Chronies? Lucca, Robo, Frog?!
Oh, you mean cronies. :( - krnldmp, on 08/03/2008, -2/+6Right, and rather than inform the public who may not have been politically active at the time of the Keating Five scandal, Obama can only manage to call McCain "cynical". Not a real strong signal that Obama is out to rid federal government of corruption.
- bjornski, on 08/03/2008, -2/+6Are you too young to remember this *****?
- Serphyas, on 08/04/2008, -1/+5Yeah, damn Obama supporters, bringing up these "FACTS" about McCain, his lies and corruption. Good thing your *****-edited psuedo-political pictures set those guys right, huh.
- tunapez, on 08/03/2008, -4/+7Is there a statute of limitations on grand theft? Embezzlement? Fraud? Considering he is vying for the top public seat in the nation, I would consider it as pertinent, if not more so, than his 40+ year old military record.
- inactive, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3Sorry, he's out of crazy pills. Cindy stole them.
- inactive, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3Don't forget how he was "cleared". Cindy conveniently "lost" all the incriminating documentation.
- inactive, on 08/04/2008, -1/+4What exactly is a "***** nail" and where can I get one?
- inactive, on 08/05/2008, -0/+3And if McCain's lowbrow Jerry Springerish Anti-Obama ad campaign that's apparently intended to attract the trailer park vote wouldn't be justification enough for your proposed Keating campaign scenario, what would be?
There are no kudos to be handed out for McCain's tactics so far as they've been nothing more than feeble attacks. He surely isn't campaigning on the merits of his strengths so much as flailing around for ways to diminish his opponent's support.
Disagree? Site one example of an ad wherein he fails to attempt to denigrate his opponent.
His campaign thus far is as if operated according to the Reality TV mentality handbook. Boorish, childish and amateurish. Aiming for the lowest common denominator. - elwior, on 09/19/2008, -0/+3 McCain has a great deal of experience in dealing with catastrophic financial crises resulting in Federal Government bailouts involving hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer money.
He was an integral part of the last one - as a perp! His boy (Keating) was himself responsible for several billion of those dollars. This time around, McCain is caught between a rock and a hard place. He must (once again) ignore his non-interventionist philosophy because his greedy cohorts (once again) have made a mess through their malfeasance which requires a "Big Government" bail-out.
In effect, McCain has been dead wrong for years on the proper role of government's role in the Regulatory process, which if properly in place is designed to avoid the sort of meltdown the government is now reacting to, having to step in with taxpayer (our) money. And now this clueless guy (mcCain) wants to take over stewardship of this system? NOOOOOOOOOOO! - nihilville, on 08/04/2008, -0/+3Yes, whistle blowers are often given sweet heart deals irregardless of their innocence. Do you have any idea how the criminal justice system works in this country? To make sure they have an airtight case against certain criminals, they will often offer immunity to other criminals in return for their testimony,
To use an easily accessible pop culture analogy: In the Sopranos, "Big" Pussey was offered clemency in the drug trafficking charges he was facing in return for "turning" on Tony Soprano and other's from their criminal organization. Pussey is no less a criminal just because he attempted to trade evidence for immunity.
Similarly, the fact that McCain was acquitted for crimes there is ample proof to establish his culpability for does not in any ways negate the simple fact that he is a criminal. It merely lends credence to the theory that he is a rat as well, a political opportunist who has proven time after time that no loyalty is too great, no conviction so deeply held that he won't abandon it in a second for political gain. -
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