McCain and Keating

[azmouse]

http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/mccain/articles/2007/03/01/20070301mccainbio-chapter7.html



Charlie Keating always took care of his friends, especially those in politics. McCain was no exception.

In 1982, during McCain's first run for the House, Keating held a fund-raiser for him, collecting more than $11,000 from 40 employees of American Continental Corp. McCain would spend more than $550,000 to win the primary and the general election.

In 1983, as McCain contemplated his House re-election, Keating hosted a $1,000-a-plate dinner for him, even though McCain had no serious competition. When McCain pushed for the Senate in 1986, Keating was there with more than $50,000.

By 1987, McCain had received about $112,000 in political contributions from Keating and his associates.

McCain also had carried a little water for Keating in Washington. While in the House, McCain, along with a majority of representatives, co-sponsored a resolution to delay new regulations designed to curb risky investments by thrifts such as Lincoln.

*snip*

Keating was no ordinary constituent to McCain.

On Oct. 8, 1989, The Arizona Republic revealed that 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 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. Total cost: $13,433.

When the story broke, McCain did nothing to help himself.

"You're a liar," McCain said when a Republic reporter asked him about the business relationship between his wife and Keating.

"That's the spouse's involvement, you idiot," McCain said later in the same conversation. "You do understand English, don't you?"

[DesertFlower]

1. i wish obama would bring this up in an ad.

McCain is going to attack obama tuesday night. maybe obama will hit back with keating and how much it cost the taxpayers to bail out the S&L.

[azmouse]

2. It's certainly looking like this would be a good time to mention Keating

everywhere and at every opportunity.

[FrenchieCat]

3. Yep.....

Savings and Loan debacle that was the biggest Bail out in history, until now.

[DesertFlower]

4. i moved to arizona in

late '89 -- right around the time that the keating five was constantly in the news.

edited for typo.

[azmouse]

5. I got here in late '90.

I still can't believe how Arizonans kept overlooking McCain's crooked background.

[DesertFlower]

6. it's a republican state.

i constantly get into arguments with people. the other day in fry's the guy in front of us at the check out was wearing a McCain/Palin hat. hubby saw it. i didn't. he said he was glad that i didn't see it because he knows i would have said something.

the other day i had my water heater replaced. the technician was a light skinned black man. first i thought he was hispanic. when it was time to pay, i asked him if he was going to watch the debate. he said he was. i told him that i'm supporting obama and then he felt comfortable enough to tell me that he was too.

my hairdresser said she wouldn't vote for obama because he's black. she was raised here. i bet she never ever even knew a black person on a personal level.