New York Times Ombudsman Faults Paper on McCain Romance Story
John McCain and wife, Cindy, answered questions at a press conference held Thursday in response to a New York Times article alleging that McCain had an affair with a lobbyist nine years ago.
The New York Times failed to establish a sexual relationship had existed between John McCain and lobbyist Vicki Iseman and therefore should not have published the salacious claims it made last week suggesting otherwise, the newspaper’s public editor wrote in Sunday’s online edition.
The editors and reporters were on to a good story about the Arizona senator’s fight against special interests at the same time he had appeared to do a favor for one, wrote Times Ombudsman Clark Hoyt, but charges that the relationship went beyond politics and into romance was a distraction without evidence. He added that Executive Editor Bill Keller’s argument that the story wasn’t about an affair belies the article’s narrative.
“I think that ignores the scarlet elephant in the room. A newspaper cannot begin a story about the all-but-certain Republican presidential nominee with the suggestion of an extramarital affair with an attractive lobbyist 31 years his junior and expect readers to focus on anything other than what most of them did. And if a newspaper is going to suggest an improper sexual affair, whether editors think that is the central point or not, it owes readers more proof than The Times was able to provide,” Hoyt wrote.
On Thursday, McCain held a press conference to deny charges that he and Iseman, 40, had had an affair nine years ago while she was lobbying for his assistance to get the Federal Communications Commission to rule on her client’s application for approval of the sale of a television station. McCain, 71, who was the Senate Commerce Committee’s chairman at the time, wrote the FCC asking the commissioners to make a decision but did not ask them to rule one way or the other.
McCain, with his wife by his side, answered questions for 15 minutes, and flat out denied a sexual relationship. The focus then turned to the newspaper, which wrote that McCain’s 2000 presidential campaign staff had tried to keep him and Iseman apart for fear their relationship would hurt his campaign.
In Sunday’s post-mortem, Hoyt wrote, “The article was notable for what it did not say: It did not say what convinced the advisers that there was a romance. It did not make clear what McCain was admitting when he acknowledged behaving inappropriately — an affair or just an association with a lobbyist that could look bad. And it did not say whether (McCain aide John) Weaver, the only on-the-record source, believed there was a romance.”
Hoyt said as a result, the newspaper is in the “uncomfortable position of being the story” because “although it raised one of the most toxic subjects in politics — sex — it offered readers no proof that McCain and Iseman had a romance.”
The McCain camp knew for months that the Times had been working on the article, and staffers had been worried that the article could have been a real crusher. In the end, however, the campaign was able to put a positive spin on the story, even using the article as a fundraising tool last week, saying if the so-called liberal New York Times is trying to smear him, then it demonstrates he’s more of a conservative then Republican opponents had suggested.
McCain has been on the hunt for conservative voters during this primary season, and in Washington, D.C., last night, he courted the 22 Republican governors who were in town for a national governors convention. McCain needs to tap into the group’s resources, both in their ability to unify the party as well as their get-out-the-vote organizations ahead of the general election in November.
Still uncertain is which Democratic candidate he likely will be challenging in November. With that in mind, McCain told the governors he is ready to take on either contender.
Referring to promised tax hikes on the wealthy, McCain joked with the governors. “I notice that Senator Clinton and Senator Obama say only on the very rich. I think a lot of people find themselves astonished to find themselves in that category when the Democrats are going to only tax the quote very rich.”
Neither McCain nor his rival Mike Huckabee have any public appearances on Sunday, but McCain came closer Saturday to winning the GOP nomination, picking up additional delegates as a result of voting in American Samoa and Puerto Rico. McCain still needs about 200 more to get to the magic number of 1,191. Huckabee, meanwhile, has 254 delegates, and aware of the mathematical inevitability of McCain’s nomination, went on Saturday Night Live for a comic turn about his knowing when to bow out of the contest.
Click here to read The New York Times ombudsman’s review of the McCain article.
A question,
Based on his limited experience, Can any Obama lover tell me how he will respond to a terrorist attack on this country? Based on his experience will he stand up or wet his pants? Based on his experience, Can any Lib tell me how he might perform?
This is important to me because I was there. I do not understand your mindset. Explain this to me. I think this “Obamamania” Is frightening in regard to history. Jim Jones Got people to “Drink the Kool aid” What has he done in his past to suggest he is of more substance than words? Name one thing. I would like to go to Mars But, I can’t explain how I am going to get there. Obama speaks very well. However, Based on his record, What can he do? What will he do? You Libs have got to stop being so simple minded. Really.
Quite frankly, the NY Times should never have printed anything about McCain’s private life. It should not be an issue or of anyone’s interest. Just prurient (and probably false) innuendo.
I don’t agree with most of McCain’s positions, but he is an honorable man, a veteran, a patriot who has given a great deal for our country. He has principles. He deserves better.
Shame on you NY Times !!
I gave up my subscription to the New York Times many years ago because this is the most biased newspaper and magazine against Republicans and Catholics in the U.S. Today Puerto Rico gave Senator McCain its 24 electoral votes putting him very close to the majority count for the nomination. To a large degree the article in the New York Times against McCain and a fabricated sex scandal contributed to the overwhelming support he received in the Puerto Rico caucus.
Paragraph 8, “then” should be “than”
A BLACK MAN IS GOING TO TAKE AWAY HILLERYS CHANCE TO BECOME PRESIDENT…LOL
ISNT IT ALWAYS THE WAY….THE MEDIA LOVES IT…IF BARRACK HUSSAIN OBAMA WAS
A WIHTE MAN WITH THE SAME ( CREDENTIALS ) WHITCH IS NONE! HOW MUCH ATTENTION DO YOU THINK HE WOULD GET FROM THE LIBERAL MEDIA? LET ME ANSWER THAT QUESTION
NONE!!!!!!!!!! ITS ALWAYS ABOUT RACE…WHEN DO YOU THINK THAT WILL STOP? ITS CALLED
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND QUOTAS THATS WHAT IT FALLS UNDER. AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE WAY SOME PEOPLE WILL BE ELECTNG THERE PRESIDENT! SOME MUCH FOR BASIC. SO MUCH FOR EXPERIENCE , QUALIFICATION … ISNT THAT THE WAY ITS ALWAYS BEEN FOR THE LAST 40 + YEARS..CIVIL RIGHT ACT 1964… ITS CALLED REVERSE DISCRIMINATION I THOUGHT WE WERE ALL EQUAL IN THIS COUNTRY GUESS NOT. DO YOU THINK SOME PEOPLE MADE THAT LAW TO OBTAIN VOTES?
Okay Monica S. if you’re going to believe all the dribble from the NYT and stand up for their baseless INNUENDO (ie. you don’t have to outright say something to qualify as a smearjob), then I’d like to also see you defend all of Clinton’s shady dealings, affairs, rapes, and the disgracefull denigration of the Oval office with a cigar; and while you’re at it, please defend Obama’s support and attendance throughout the years of an obviously racist church in Chicago. Apparently in Clinton and Obama’s case, that’s okay (and hard proof exists of it), but if you even IMPLY impropriety in McCain’s case, then he’s the devil incarnate. Now that’s what I call, how did you phrase it, typical hypocrisy…
Comment by DPG
February 24th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
WELL NOW
MORE PROOF..
The only reason this rag. The new york socailist times, put this story out. Was to take the heat off OBAMA’s sorry wife. Once again showing their true colors.
PEOPLE NEED TO QUIT BUYING THIS CRAP. The bias in this paper if unfit to wrap fish in.
LET OUR VOICE’S BE HEARD. Where they will hear. Right in their pocket book. DONT buy their bias trash.
YEA HERE IT IS….
What does it matter what Sen. McCain did? Nothing can be so disgracing as Bill having oral sex in the oval office!!!! It seems that the n.y. times needs to find something worst on a republican!
OR HOW ABOUT DRUG ADDICT? THEIRS SOMETHING WRONG WHEN PEOPLE DON’T CARE IF
THE PERSON RUNNING FOR THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND WAS A DRUG ADDICT!!! AND HAS NO QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE!
Unfortumately the story is like tearing a note in shreds and throwing to the wind, all the pieces are not able to be put back together.
The Times is a large paper and people will read what they did and pay little or no attention to the retraction
Thus I place the Times in the category of a “news rag.”
QUALIFICATION, WHO HAS?
U.S. Senator from Illinois: 2005–Present
Illinois State Senator: 1996–2004
Obama was the featured speaker at Iowa Senator Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry, a political event favored by presidential hopefuls in the lead-up to the Iowa caucus.
He was endorsed by talk show host Oprah Winfrey in 2006.
Has admitted using drugs has admitted to a bad land deal, he admits he hasn’t ever run a town, city, or state. Has been a senator for 4 years. Has admitted being brought up with muslin teachings.
when asked about his achievement he dodged the question….
he hasn’t been much of a senator he has not introduced any significant legslation.