Obama Says McCain's Keating Five Connection Is Not Off Limits

[UpInArms]

Source: New York Times

BEND, Ore. – Senator Barack Obama said today that a scandal from Senator John McCain’s past – the Keating Five – was just as relevant to the presidential campaign as questions about who Mr. Obama has associated with over the years.

In a news conference here, Mr. Obama was asked whether his campaign intended to raise the banking scandal from the 1980s, which Mr. McCain has apologized for. Every piece of every candidate’s public record, Mr. Obama said, is “germane to the presidency.”

“I was just asked previously about a whole host of issues and associations that are a lot more flimsy than John McCain’s relationship to Keating Five,” Mr. Obama said. “What I said, I can’t quarrel with the American people wanting to know more about that and me having to answer questions about it.”

Mr. Obama’s background, ranging from his longtime pastor to his friendship with former radicals from the 1960s, has been widely debated during the Democratic nominating fight. He said he expected the same level of scrutiny would be applied to Mr. McCain.

Read more: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/10/obama-says-mccains-keating-five-connection-is-not-off-limits/

[lligrd]

1. Of Course It Is Relevant

Gobama!

[sudopod]

2. LOL

mote, plank, etc.

[JanusAscending]

4. GO .......AWAY !!

[sudopod]

8. Sorry!

I was aiming that at McCain, who is picking at little things in Senator Obama's past when he has very real, very well-documented problems in his own past, for which he claimed guilt.

Sorry if I wasn't clear. It made sense in my head. :p

[roguevalley]

35. doubhe. bag. damn, sudopod! LOL! I was aiming at the wrong

target. Douche. bag. is for McCain then. :-D

[PSPS]

3. "has been widely debated"

Mr. Obama’s background, ranging from his longtime pastor to his friendship with former radicals from the 1960s, has been widely debated during the Democratic nominating fight. He said he expected the same level of scrutiny would be applied to Mr. McCain.

What a crock of shit.

It's not "widely debated," it's the product of today's infotainment & gossip masquerading as "news."

What we have is the RW hate wurlitzer, of which the NYT is a card-carrying member, apparently setting the tone for all media now. After all, it would be awful to actually have to "debate" real issues that have a bearing on life today.

Gee, NYT, what's the next "scoop?" Did Obama's mailman once witness a housewife smooching with the milkman? Did Clinton used to know someone in college who got a ticket for speeding? Oh my! I'm getting the vapors just thinking about it.

Again, what a crock of shit.

[KSinTX]

7. Stop it from hurting - that was good

:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl:

[Hidey]

10. I can hear it now:

Next on FOX: Obama's veterinarian is a muslim and he sneaks into your house at night and turns your wall outlets upside down.

[awoke_in_2003]

27. "turns your wall outlets upside down"

Thanks, I was wandering who was doing that :) Welcome to DU

[Hidey]

32. Thank you1

:)

[Frisbee]

33. I fooled him....

I stayed up late turning all of my own outlets upside down. Now, when he finally shows up, he'll turn them back right side up! You've got to get up pretty early in the morning to put one over on me! :P

[awoke_in_2003]

41. Don't worry

he is patient and industrious. He will probably switch to doing you light switches then :) Welcome to DU

[Frisbee]

43. D'oh!

Thanks for the welcome, BTW. I am actually a long time lurker, but I am not a prolific poster.:-)

[awoke_in_2003]

53. Yeah, I was a long time lurker, also

Found this site right before the invasion of Iraq, didn't become official until 2005. It was the "Top Ten Conservative Idiots" that brought me over, it is like a gateway drug :)

[Night_Nurse]

5. It's very relevant, and I'm happy to hear this

Let's just hope the MSM doesn't try to bury it, or otherwise distract the masses.

[Hidey]

6. They're telling him "Relax, John.. don't worry!"

Because you're "vetted" already! The charge has been aired. It's nothing, Just old news!

Bad advice, but they'll have to learn that for themselves come November.

Keating, the Newsweek article, the McSame problem, his temper and propensity for conflict, his support for free trade, tax cuts for the rich, a century long occupation, Hagee and the fact that he'll be rambling like a complete moron the entire time will contrast nicely with Obama's message of change, NAFTA, etc..

They're going to need a thousand Reverend Wrights to get out of this one.

[BeatleBoot]

9. 4 of the 5 were Democrats

Alan Cranston (D) - CA

Dennis DeConcini (D) - AZ

John Glenn (D) - OH

Don Riegle (D) - MI

John McCain (R) - AZ


Can anyone understand the phrase: "stepping on your own "$%@^" ?


Maybe throwing the party under the bus is okay in Obamaworld.


It's the new normal.

[Jim Sagle]

11. Psstttt.....snap out of it. None of those Democrats is running for President. McCain is.

[BeatleBoot]

12. I guess you don't get it then

Rove will turn that argument right on its head and make it hurt the Dems more than it would hurt McCain.

This shit is too easy for him.

They turned a War Hero into a Traitor in 2004.

So, pssst....wake up.

[Limelight]

15. No, apparently you don't get it...

As I recall all those dems are gone. McCain is the only one of them left standing. What's Rove going to say, that there WAS a culture of corruption? Well guess what, if there was all he's acknowledging is that McCain was a part of that culture.

They can't defend McCain on those grounds without throwing him under the bus right along with those democrats who were all caught and are no long elected officials. All of which will lead to ugly questions about his questionable connection to lobbiests that he's had for decades.

They wanna play guilt by association politics? They wanna open up that can of worms? Cool, get it done.

[annabanana]

21. Well. . . we DO have lots of crap to chose from..

Ol' "Land-Swap" McCain has a closet LOADED with lobbyists (His campaign is being pretty much run by the slimiest K-Streeter on record)

And there's plenty of "there" there on the quickly forgotten Vicki
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=2901467

Here is a "starter's guide"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=4651231

[roguevalley]

37. I don't care if someone who is retired is harmed by the evil they did.

no one really got their ass handed to them over this and millions of people lost their life savings. I don't give a damn about Rove. He's a prick and he's swimming against the tide of history. for justice sake, kill them all. they earned it. fuck rove.

[JerseygirlCT]

49. He can only do what we allow him to do

Kerry didn't fight back, he thought he should be above it.

I think Obama has watched carefully - he won't be allowing the same mistakes.

[ray of light]

51. cut the bullcrap F**king lie already.

Get your head out of your ass and recognize that Kerry did fight back but that the MEDIA lied to the American people for 4 months despite the evidence that kerry presented from day one.

Think about it JerseygirlCT. Who continues to create false story lines out there and has consistently hid the truth for at least 8 years if not more?

It's the stupid, lying, media. And that lying stupid media LIED, OBSCURED, HID everything that repudiated the swifties that JK and his associates put forth, during the primaries and also IMMEDIATELY in August. But the media gave FREE AIR TIME worth MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to that lying group bush supporters.

So shut the F*ck up about 2004 already. And start putting responsibility where it belongs: the corrupt, complicity media.

[JerseygirlCT]

52. Stop with the insults, will you?

It does nothing to further your position, and just makes *you* look bad.

Kerry was certainly hampered by a complicit media. But he was also hampered by years in the senate, and a gentlemanly personility, both of which taught him not to sink to his enemies' level.

On the IWR, instead of complex reasoning, he simply should have said: Bush lied, and I was foolish to trust him. You'd be foolish to trust him, too"

On the swiftboat stuff, certainly more people should have come forward with more strong language. But he should have attacked, and strongly, Bush's AWOL record. He didn't. He was also hurt by Rather's shoddy reporting on that issue - which left the whole AWOL bit looking like a fabrication when it most definitely wasn't. But instead of waving flags and military uniforms at the convention, we would have done better with fighting words - real ones - from Kerry.

I think the world of Senator Kerry. I was an early supporter in the primaries. But I think we have to recognize that when dealing with slime, we're going to get a bit messy ourselves. And we cannot be afraid to use every opportunity to point out the slime.

[JDPriestly]

23. Cindy McCain had invested in one of Keating's projects,

and then McCain lobbied on behalf of the S&Ls. That is why it is so important that Cindy McCain release her tax returns. Mrs. Obama has released her returns. Both Clintons have released their returns. Now it is up to Mrs. McCain to release hers. We need to know what Keating 5 scandals lie in the future.

Please note that none of the Democrats involved with McCain in the Keating 5 scandal are in office today (as far as I know). In fact, as with most Democrats who become embroiled in serious accusations of misconduct, three of them left after finishing the term in which the Keating 5 scandal was publicized.

Alan Cranston died. He left the Senate in 1993.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Cranston

Don Riegle left the Senate in 1994 following the Keating 5 scandal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_W._Riegle,_Jr.

Dennis DeConcini (D) - AZ left the senate after finishing his term in 1995.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_DeConcini

John Glenn (D) - OH served one additional term after the Keating 5 scandal. He, however, was tremendously popular in Ohio and, of course, was a genuine hero and astronaut.

"Glenn was one of the five U. S. Senators caught up with Lincoln Savings and the Keating Five Scandal after accepting a $200,000 contribution from Charles Keating. Glenn and Republican Senator John McCain were the only Senators exonerated. The Senate Commission found that Glenn had exercised "poor judgment." The association of his name with the scandal gave Republicans hope that he would be vulnerable in the 1992 campaign. Instead, Glenn handily defeated Lieutenant Governor R. Michael DeWine to keep his seat. This 1992 re-election victory was the last time a Democrat won a statewide race in Ohio until 2006; DeWine later won Metzenbaum's seat upon his retirement."

Glenn did not run in 1998 or thereafter.

John Glenn's heroism makes McCain look like a cowards. John Glenn not only fought heroically in WWII, but here is what he did in Korea:

"Glenn was finally assigned to VMF-311 flying the F9F Panther and eventually took part in 63 combat missions with the Marines during the Korean War. It was during this time that Glenn earned the nickname "Magnet Ass", for his ability to attract flak. On two occasions he brought his jet back to base with over 250 holes in it.<3> During his time in Korea, Glenn also served for a time alongside Ted Williams, a future hall of fame baseball player for the Boston Red Sox. On his second tour he flew with the United States Air Force on an interservice exchange. Flying 27 missions in the F-86 Sabre, he shot down three MiG-15s near the Yalu River in the last nine days of the war."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn

John Glenn was a true hero. McCain's claim to heroism looks pathetic compared to John Glenn's truly heroic conduct.

[roguevalley]

36. I don't give a shit if they were dems. that fiasco cost us billions. also

there was a bush involved: good old neil. Hang them all.

[JerseygirlCT]

48. And not a one of them still in office - so we care why?

Besides, if they did something wrong, we cannot close ranks around them.

I say let fly.

[Limelight]

13. For all that believe that Obama isn't "tough enough"

I don't know how you missed what the man has been saying. He's said constantly that he's been very "restrained" in this democratic primary. Why? Because he doesn't want to torpedo a fellow democrat, but I knew the second it came to game time for the general election those kid gloves were gonna come off.

McCain is gonna try and use Rev. Wright which is gonna give Obama a reason to green light McCain's ass. They're gonna pull every bone fragment of every skeleton in his cavernous closet and display them for the world to see.

Needless to say I can't wait.:bounce:

[calimary]

17. Yeah, I'm happy to see this, too. 'Cause he's gonna have to hit mcsame with everything

that can be found. The Keating Five scandal may be old news, but not to millions and millions of voters who have either forgotten or weren't around then and are too young to remember. I'm mighty glad to see this. Load up, Barack. There's PLENTY of material to work with, and a refresher course is a very nice idea.

[Quantess]

46. The Keating Five scandal was something like 1989

I may have been a teenager, but I remember it. It was a big deal.

A lot of people remember it. However, people may need to be reminded that John McCain was one of the key players.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five

[mcollier]

50. It is a question of the type of "Experience"

McCain brings to the table. I'd like to know about McCain's experience with this Keating stuff I never heard of...

[lonestarnot]

26. I am ready for that!

:bounce:

[cyclezealot]

14. I had feared Obama too mealy mouthed with the Repukes

This gives me hope that he knows how to fight with those dirty tricks. Just keep it up.

[orleans]

16. ...

"He said he expected the same level of scrutiny would be applied to Mr. McCain."

really?

who does he expect that from?

[DeSwiss]

18. That was the same thing I wondered....

...but I guess it would be apropos for the person who was asking him the question to look into it. And if they don't, then I guess Obama can raise the question himself when they have their http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/us/politics/11strategy.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1210496854-1yiYloVUWJ7wYY9S0ClMPg">unmoderated debates.

- "Since everything in McLame's public record is fair game. As well as the stuff that's not in the public record only because he's hiding it...."

[Demit]

20. He's signalling to the press that they'd better apply the same standards to both candidates

—and if they don't, it will be a theme of his that he will be pointing this out. I hope he does, tirelessly. I've really had enough of this 'oh that's old news' when it comes to Republicans, but anything, no matter how ancient, is a 'character issue' when it comes to Democrats.

[roguevalley]

39. he will force it with ads. he has zillions and mccain has bupkiss.

he will make the news do their jobs.

[DeSwiss]

19. The S&L Debacle, Enron, Subprime Mortgages...

...this is what Repukes know how to do. And this is John McFame's "experience" with economics.

- How to steal from people on a mass-scale and cause recessions...

K&R!!!

[Ian David]

22. Keating Five

Keating Five
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Keating Five were five United States Senators, who were accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The five senators, Alan Cranston (D-CA), Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ), John Glenn (D-OH), John McCain (R-AZ), Donald W. Riegle (D-MI), were accused of improperly aiding Charles H. Keating, Jr., chairman of the failed Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, which was the target of an investigation by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board.

After a lengthy investigation, the Senate Ethics Committee determined in 1991 that Alan Cranston, Dennis DeConcini, and Donald Riegle had substantially and improperly interfered with the FHLBB in its investigation of Lincoln Savings, while John Glenn and John McCain had been only minimally involved. The Committee recommended censure for Cranston and criticized the other four for "questionable conduct."

All five of the senators involved served out their terms, but only Glenn and McCain ran for re-election (and were subsequently re-elected).

<snip>

Corruption allegations

Gray testified that several U.S. senators had approached him and requested that he ease off on the Lincoln investigation. It came out that these senators had been beneficiaries of $300,000 (collective total) in campaign contributions from Keating. McCain received $112,000 by 1987 from Keating and Keating's relatives and employees to McCain's Senate campaign, more than any of the other Senators. <1> In September 1987 National Thrift News was the first media outlet to break the story.<2> In October 1989 The Arizona Republic reported that in addition to campaign contributions, McCain's wife and her father had invested $359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators. The paper also reported that the McCains, sometimes accompanied by their daughter and baby-sitter, had made at least nine trips at Keating's expense, sometimes aboard the American Continental Corporation (parent of Lincoln) jet. Three of the trips were made during vacations to Keating's opulent Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay. McCain also did not pay Keating for some of the trips until years after they were taken, after he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln. <3> Lincoln Savings and Loan's collapse is said to have cost taxpayers $3.4 billion <4>.

This allegation set off a series of investigations by the California government, the United States Department of Justice, and the Senate Ethics Committee. The ethics committee's investigation focused on five senators: Alan Cranston (D-CA); Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ); John Glenn (D-OH); John McCain (R-AZ); and Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (D-MI), who became known as the "Keating Five".

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_five

[JDPriestly]

24. See my post #23. I point out that Glenn actually served an additional

term. He was extremely popular and deservedly so. John Glenn was one of, if not the, greatest military heroes in American history --

He was just amazing.

When you read about the actions of John Glenn, you find John McCain's claims to heroism to be laughable.

Not only was he an astronaut, but --

During World War II he was originally assigned to VMJ-353 flying R4D transport planes but eventually managed a transfer to VMF-155 as an F4U Corsair pilot and flew in 59 combat missions.<2> He saw action over the Marshall Islands, specifically Maloelap, where he attacked anti-aircraft gunnery and dropped bombs. In 1945, Glenn was transferred to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland where he was promoted to captain by the war's end.
John Herschel Glenn, Jr
Born July 18, 1921

. . . .
Glenn was finally assigned to VMF-311 flying the F9F Panther and eventually took part in 63 combat missions with the Marines during the Korean War. It was during this time that Glenn earned the nickname "Magnet Ass", for his ability to attract flak. On two occasions he brought his jet back to base with over 250 holes in it.<3> During his time in Korea, Glenn also served for a time alongside Ted Williams, a future hall of fame baseball player for the Boston Red Sox. On his second tour he flew with the United States Air Force on an interservice exchange. Flying 27 missions in the F-86 Sabre, he shot down three MiG-15s near the Yalu River in the last nine days of the war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn

And Glenn's heroic exploits had only just begun . . . .

John Glenn is the guy McCain pretends to be.

[Frisbee]

34. I always find it amazing

that he is a hero just because he had the bad (good?) luck to be captured. I really have to wonder where The Fossil would be today were it not for having POW on his resume. I'm not saying he may not have been a successful business man, but I doubt he'd ever have reached the level (depths?) he has because of it.

[roguevalley]

40. but he still did this. shame on him. he was a hero of mine until this

I agree with you on the comparison. no one wanted to fly near john mccain. he crashed all the time.

[JDPriestly]

45. You are right.

Usually, Democrats refuse to re-elect a candidate who has participated in some scam like the Keating 5. I was trying to understand why John Glenn was re-elected in spite of his complicity. It think it is because he had earned so much respect and love for his genuine heroism. Were it not for that, I think that we Democrats would have taken the high ground, and he would have understood that he should not run for re-election.

[fascisthunter]

25. Wish I Could Nominate this Post

I think you Should Make this post it's own thread.....

[UpInArms]

31. I always referred to them as the "Cheating Keating Five" ... eom

[AngryOldDem]

28. It's certainly a hell of a lot more relevant than the Jeremiah Wright controversy,

It relates directly to McCain's political dealings -- the way he does business. It is a good strategic talking point, IMO.

[JimmyJubes]

29. Bravo

Insane In The McCain.
How do you difuse a story?
Tell a little lie with many truths.
IE. The so-called liberal media puts out a story on how McCain is in bed with a lobbyist literally.
(A little Lie) This way the many truths about him being in bed with lobbyist not so literally are brushed aside.
Much like the National guard story four years ago.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

30. when it comes to mccain, nothing should be off limits including

his age -

Obama, this is how his minions will treat you.....

http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2007/01/obama-cant-catch-break.html

[Hugin]

38. Darn tootn' it's not off the table...

It's highly relevant to the current situation.

[thunderdog]

42. Well, it all comes down to character and judgement.

[KamaAina]

44. What about his "f***ing c**t" connection?

Or his "I will hate the gooks as long as I live" connection? Or his bold proposal to install a missile defense system in Czechoslovakia (which hasn't existed for fifteen years)? Or the money shot of McSatan talking into the bottom end of a microphone, the one with the cord sticking out?

This guy practically runs against himself. Mitt Romney must be kicking himself hard right about now: "I actually lost to this meatball?"

edit: Or his "bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran" connection? Or his "We will never go to war for oil again" connection?

The picture I get is a cross between Jerry Ford -- and Hannibal Lecter. :scared:

[mulsh]

47. McCain got the most money & perks of all 5, $195k, vacation trips

He's the skummiest of the 5 always has been. not even much of a "war hero". None of my WWII pow uncles made a big deal out of their ordeals in German and Japanese prison camps.