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After several weeks of speculation, the New York Times has broken a story linking Republican presidential candidate John McCain to a former lobbyist named Vicki Iseman. Iseman, as a lobbyist, worked closely with McCain. In fact, their relationship appeared to be so close that there is an alleged romantic link in all this.
So why is this not unexpected?
It seems John McCain has had his own Rudy Giuliani moments in the past.
In 2000, Nicholas Kristof wrote a profile piece on McCain described how his marriage to present wife Cindy came to form:
It was 1979, and it was becoming clear that he would never make admiral like his father and grandfather. He had always dreamed of doing something great, of imprinting his name on the history books, but at age 42 he found himself with a stuttering military career and no base from which to go into politics.
On top of that, his personal life was a mess: Although he was still living with his wife, he was aggressively courting a 25-year-old woman who was as beautiful as she was rich.
And as this far-right website puts it:
While still married to Carol, McCain began an adulterous relationship with Cindy. He married Cindy in May 1980 -- just a month after dumping Carol and securing a divorce. The newlyweds honeymooned in Hawaii.
This is all true. John McCain divorced his first wife Carol in April 1980. Then, a month later in May 1980, he marries current wife Cindy.
So this whole McCain-lobbyist (alleged) relationship does not shock me... and it shouldn't shock the rest of us. Is it a big deal? You bet, especially if it is confirmed to be true. This would really rile up the conservatives. You know, the same conservatives that got riled up over Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky.
McCain has some questions to answer. This will haunt him unless he addresses it in a straightforward manner. And even then, this will stick with him until the elections.
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