New York Times and John McCain

You knew it was only a matter of time before this campaign got ugly.

But for the New York Times to use its front page to accuse John McCain of stooping to Clintonian depths is not only unfair, it is preposterous!

Especially when there's no there there.

According to the Times' story, McCain may have considered having an improper relationship with lobbyist Vicki Iseman. The paper implies the two either shared a romantic relationship or McCain did the young lady political favors, or both, but the paper doesn't exactly say which. Meanwhile, McCain and Iseman deny any improper relationship ever occurred.

The story uses no on-the-record sources and merely raises gossip and innuendo from nearly nine years ago in an effort to try the Senator in the court of public opinion.

This excerpt should give you an idea of how specious these allegations really are:

A female lobbyist had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, visiting his offices and accompanying him on a client’s corporate jet. Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself — instructing staff members to block the woman’s access, privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting him, several people involved in the campaign said on the condition of anonymity.

I, for one, fail to see the foundation for these heinous allegations.

From the quick research I was able to do on this "scandal," it appears the Times has been sitting on this story for month, and was finally forced to publish it only after the left-wing newspaper, The New Republic, threatened to report the newspaper's decision to spike the story in an article of its own. The Matt Drudge Report actually ran a small story in December about how McCain "pleaded" with Times editors to hold the story.

The story, in my opinion, raises more questions about the questionable practices of the New York Times than the questionable practices of John McCain. Not only does the timing of this story raise eyebrows, so then does their own endorsement of John McCain.

And maybe that is the ultimate intention of this story.

To me, what speaks louder than the Times article, is McCain's willingness to immediately address the news media not just with a statement, but with forthright answers to very pointed questions. Despite his assurances that no impropriety occurred, I'm sure we'll hear more of this as the days and weeks unfold, and that is truly unfortunate.