NY Times Hits McCain

Interesting.

For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses its Own Risk

If this is the biggest scandal that McCain is going to face this year, he should be fine.

The article really is a gentle reminder that McCain does not have a spotless record in his 24 years in the federal government. They rehash a well-told story (the Keating Five), and they insinuated that he might have been having an affair with a lobbyist.

Just a few thoughts on the article:

1. My guess is that the Times spent a LOT of time doing the research on this piece. They didn't turn up much of substance, so they had to write it like this, a sort of chiding "there are rumours of some skeletons in his closet." I understand this; they spent a lot of time digging, and they want to get SOMETHING out of it.
2. I don't really, really think that this is a deliberately tactic by a liberal newspaper. I do think, though, that for whatever reason (perhaps b/c McCain is a little sanctimonious about ethics sometimes), they held McCain to a slightly higher standard than they would hold everyone else.
3. The best take on this article I've read came from the Talking Points Memo universe:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/horsesmouth/2008/02/about_that_time.php

Is this in bounds? I think so. Could there be more to this story? It's definitely possible.

Ask this question, though: if FOX News ran a similar report about Obama, what would DailyKos do?

My guess: utter outrage, cries of racism, Swift Boat allegations, the works.

As far as I am concerned, this is pretty poor journalism. It probably will occupy a few news cycles worth of time, but in the long run, I don't think it affects McCain.

Scandal stories have their place, but really, insinuation should never be allowed to enter into the elite discourse on politics. The US' paper of record should never get the ball rolling on this sort of story; it's irresponsible journalism.

More practically, though, if the Times really doesn't want McCain to get elected, their best bet is to sing his praises. A lot of middle America and conservative America really dislike the Times for its liberal slant. A war with the Times is a great way for McCain to play to the base.