McCain won't get slimed again (maybe)
Eight years ago, the South Carolina primary campaign was a searing experience for John McCain and his kin. He not only got hammered by George W. Bush in the Republican presidential race, but was the target of a steady stream of smears by unknown groups.
One whisper campaign asserted that his wife, Cindy, had a drug problem; another spread rumors that he had illegitimately fathered a black child -- an attack especially hurtful to the McCains because they are the parents of an adopted dark-skinned girl from Bangladesh.
As this year's GOP contest shifts toward South Carolina, site of a closely watched primary on Jan. 19, there have been no signs it will descend to such levels. But McCain wants to take ....
no chances this time. And besides, he has frequently complained that Mitt Romney's criticisms of his voting record and policy positions have been distortions.
Even before the polls had closed in the New Hampshire primary that he won Tuesday, McCain announced the formation of a "truth squad" in South Carolina that aims, according to a campaign statement, to "counter any negative or misleading attacks targeted at" the candidate. You can read the full release here.
The squad's members include South Carolina Atty. Gen. Henry McMaster. But here's the member who impresses us: Adjutant Gen. Stan Spears. In his post -- an elected one -- Spears directs the 10,500-member South Carolina Army and Air National Guard.
Sounds like a good guy to have on your side.
-- Don Frederick
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
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As John McCain's profile rises among his Republican rivals, his close and deep relationships with lobbyists are certain to haunt him despite his carefully-crafted image as an "independent" and a "maverick." In an election year charged with anger at Washington insiders, McCain is the ultimate insider, with more lobbyists working on his staff, advising him, or raising funds for his campaign than any of his rivals. McCain campaign manager Rick Davis is a former lobbyist who has represented major telecom interests, with which McCain's dealings as a member of the Senate Commerce Committee have drawn particular concern (These include actions by McCain in 2003-2004 favoring Cablevision Systems Corporation while soliciting $200,000 in contributions from Cablevision for his "Reform Institute."). McCain's senior adviser is Charles Black of lobbying firm BKSH & Associates, which has also represented telecom interests as well as drug companies and defense contractors, among others. While most candidates deal with lobbyists to some degree, McCain outdeals them all.
Posted by: Mark C. Eades | January 10, 2008 at 06:39 PM