memeorandum: First-Blush Reaction (Rich Lowry/The Corner)

8:25 AM ET, February 21, 2008

Top Items:

For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses Its Own Risk — WASHINGTON — Early in Senator John McCain's first run for the White House eight years ago, waves of anxiety swept through his small circle of advisers. — A female lobbyist had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, in his offices and aboard a client's corporate jet.

Discussion: The Swamp, CNN, Washington Post, Don Surber, Buck Naked Politics, After W, The Carpetbagger Report, Outside The Beltway, Guardian, Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars, Hullabaloo, US Elections, Betsy's Page, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Bark Bark Woof Woof, Publius Pundit, The Natural Truth, Bang the Drum, Political Radar, Political Punch, The Campaign Spot, American Spectator, Los Angeles Times, TalkLeft, Washington Monthly, NewsBusters.org, Right Wing News, Politics1, You Decide 08!, South Texas Chisme, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Patterico's Pontifications, Emptywheel, Group News Blog, DownWithTyranny!, Shakespeare's Sister, FOX Embeds, Daily Kos, Booman Tribune, Reason Magazine, Left in the West, NO QUARTER, Salon, The New Republic, PERRspectives Blog, Open Left, About US Politics, No More Mister Nice Blog, TownHall Blog, Political Machine, Riehl World View, Pensito Review, The Moderate Voice, Mercury Rising, All Spin Zone, the talking dog, Washington Wire, Wonkette, D-Day, Attytood, Prairie Weather, Jules Crittenden, Pandagon, Megan McArdle, TBogg, Politics Blog, Gateway Pundit, McCain Central, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, MyDD, The Democratic Daily, Sister Toldjah, PrestoPundit, Commentary, Oliver Willis, michellemalkin.com, Lawyers, Guns and Money, JammieWearingFool, Truthdig, Big Head DC, BlueOregon and Brains and Eggs

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

THE MCCAIN STORY — This afternoon, before the Times story came out, I was working on a post about national political reporters' tendency not to give much of any scrutiny to various McCain flipflops, contradictions and bamboozlements. Obviously, the terrain has changed a bit since …

Discussion: Obsidian Wings, The RBC and Rolling Stone

Washington Post:

McCain's Ties To Lobbyist Worried Aides — Before 2000 Campaign, Advisers Tried to Bar Her — Aides to Sen. John McCain confronted a telecommunications lobbyist in late 1999 and asked her to distance herself from the senator during the presidential campaign he was about to launch …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Pandagon, NY Daily News, Democrats.com, American Street, The Corner, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, JustOneMinute, The New Republic, PSoTD and Firedoglake

Noam Scheiber / The New Republic:

Bonus TNR Angle on the McCain Story — The McCain campaign is apparently blaming TNR for forcing the Times' hand on this story. We can't yet confirm that. But we can say this: TNR correspondent Gabe Sherman is working on a piece about the Times' foot-dragging on the McCain story …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, protein wisdom and The Page

Rich Lowry / The Corner:

First-Blush Reaction — The Times doesn't have the goods—at least from what's in the story—and shouldn't have run it. Let's be honest: this story is all about the alleged affair, and all the Keating Five and campaign finance reform re-hash is window dressing. A key passage:

Discussion: The New Republic and NewsBusters.org

Hindrocket / Power Line:

THE TIMES UPHOLDS ITS STANDARDS — The New York Times smears John McCain in tomorrow's paper, accusing him of ethics violations and insinuating that he had an affair with a lobbyist. What is most striking, though, if you actually read the story, is how thin it is.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and protein wisdom

Mary Katharine Ham / TownHall Blog:

What's the Quickest Way to Rally Conservatives 'Round McCain? — A sandbagging from the NYT of just this skeezy a nature. — This doesn't reflect badly on anyone but the Times, as far as I'm concerned. The innuendo and full-on craptastic nature of the lede alone is enough to damn …

Discussion: Jules Crittenden

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

Slimes At The Times — The New York Times launches its long-awaited smear of John McCain today, and the most impressive aspect of the smear is just how baseless it is. They basically emulate Page Six at the Post, but add in a rehash of a well-known scandal from twenty years ago to pad it out and make it look more impressive.

Discussion: New York Times and NewsBusters.org

Ana Marie Cox / TIME: Swampland:

McCain Senior Adviser Responds to Times Story — Mark Salter, John McCain's obstreperous senior aide, just responded to Time's query about the New York Times's long-simmering McCain-mixed-up-with-lobbyists story. — Speaking from a parking garage in Toledo, where the campaign is overnighting …

Discussion: Commentary, Taylor Marsh, The Page and Washington Monthly

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

NYT: McCain may have behaved unethically and cheated on his wife, but we're not sure; Update: Pressured by the New Republic? Update: McCain responds; Update: Carl Cameron video added; Update: TNR confirms? Update: WaPo piles on — A sex scandal that may not be a scandal tucked inside …

Discussion: Don Surber and The Sundries Shack

Noam Scheiber / The New Republic: McCain Bombshell

Quin Hillyer / American Spectator:
Who is John McCain? — Here's the deal, folks: The New York Times …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, INSTAPUTZ and AMERICAblog

NewsMax.com:
Inside Cover — Bennett Slams NY Times Hit Job on McCain

Discussion: The Huffington Post

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo: MCCAIN CAMPAIGN ISSUES STATEMENT

RADAR:
WAS JOHN MCCAIN GETTING ‘LOBBIED’ BY A WOMAN 30 YEARS HIS JUNIOR?

Discussion: American Spectator

Marc Ambinder:
McCain/Lobbyist Story In The New York Times Finally Drops

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs, Bang the Drum and The New Republic

Will / Attytood:
McCain's lobbyist friend: “A View from the Top”

Discussion: BAGnewsNotes, Firedoglake and Wonkette

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
NYT prints allegation of McCain relationship

Discussion: protein wisdom and Macsmind

Jeralyn / TalkLeft: McCain Slams NY Times Article Linking Him to Female Lobbyist

Thom Shanker / New York Times:

Officials Review Weather to Plan Shooting Down of Satellite — WASHINGTON — The many moving parts of a mission to shoot down a dying spy satellite with an antimissile interceptor lined up Wednesday after the space shuttle Atlantis returned to Earth, officials said.

Discussion: Publius Pundit and Amygdala

Robert Burns / Associated Press:
Navy Missile Hits Spy Satellite

Discussion: Neptunus Lex, Fausta's blog, Redstate and Jules Crittenden

Michael Goldfarb / Weekly Standard:
Missile Defense Works

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

John McCormick / Baltimore Sun:

Even blowing his nose, Obama gets applause — DALLAS - It's probably safe to say that you have arrived as a politician when your audience applauds when you blow your nose. — Yes, just a day before a debate in Texas, Sen. Barack Obama has a head cold. — And about a half-hour into a speech here …

Discussion: Associated Press and Althouse

The Editorial Board:

Democrats Obama, Clinton star in high-stakes Austin debate — Austin gets an unexpected turn as the center of the American political universe tonight as Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York face each other in debate on the University of Texas campus (7 p.m., CNN).

Discussion: Althouse and On Deadline

Matt Stoller / Open Left:

Is John McCain Broke? — This is McCain's most recent FEC report, listing his cash on hand as of 1/31/08. He has roughly 5.2M in cash, and 5.5M of debt. — I'm sure he's brought in something since he secured the nomination, but he really is starting from scratch.

Discussion: The Daily Dish and AMERICAblog