Kudos to McCain!

So John McCain was having an affair! So says the New York Times, which has released a bombshell story on McCain’s intimate relationship with Vicki Iseman, a lobbyist with the firm of Alcalde & Fay, which represents telecommunications clients.

One, I’m impressed. The old guy still has it. If anything, these revelations will help him among libido-challenged senior citizens. He’ll score a few more votes among the Viagra set.

Also, it’s revealing, if only a tad so, of the culture in Washington, DC. Did anyone think that sex is not an arrow in the lobbyists’ quiver? Iseman brings little educational background . She was trained as an elementary education teacher in a minor college. She was originally hired as a secretary. But she was known to fly on campaign flights with McCain, to the point where his staff was concerned that the relationship might be romantic.

Once elected, our senators and congressman likely have a whole array of sexual options that were not available before. Those who succumb to temptation are subject to bribery and intimidation. If the Bushies are wiretapping them, as seems highly likely (why else the frantic rush to cover up past abuses with telecom immunity?), their votes can be had on any issue. That might explain why majority Democrats have been doormats for the Bush agenda.

I’m surprised that the Times, which sat silently on a wiretapping bombshell during the 2004 presidential election, let go with this story. That in itself is a story. There’s no Republican alternative to McCain now, so benefit accrues solely to the Democrats. The mainstream media in general has been kind to Obama and Clinton (while marginalizing Edwards and the other Democratic candidates). Both of them enjoy impressive corporate backing, Clinton from the health care industry and Obama from the financial houses. These two candidates are obviously favored in the game.

That’s not a good thing. There’s great sound and fury in American political campaigns, and little substance. Liberal candidates will say anything to appeal to members of that particular base, and then, like Bill Clinton, ignore them once elected. After all, liberals have nowhere else to go, and never threaten to withhold their votes. They are like puppies. Once a candidate is elected, and financial backers are at the head of the line.

The money behind candidates is an important story that is only rarely covered by mainstream media. The Times is making a between-the-lines statement in reporting what goes on between the sheets.

Anyway, congratulations to John McCain, carrying on at once with a trophy wife and a succubus (the one that we know of, anyway). I salute him, as does AARP.