Cross-posted at Democrashield
Yesterday I wrote about the John McCain-Vicki Iseman scandal, and today I figured I would follow up with some of my thoughts.
This scandal isn't about sex. I don't think every aspect of a politician's personal life should be dragged into the public square. Politicians are people too, and people make mistakes--sometimes big ones. Politicians shouldn't be judged for every personal mistake they make; some things shouldn't be politicized, and the personal lives of politicians (usually) falls into that category.
Still, public figures should be scrutinized more than private citizens, so there are some exceptions to this. The first is if a public official is doing something illegal (like Mark Foley sending sexually explicit messages to underage pages or David Vitter hiring prostitutes). The second is if a politician's private conduct is hypocritical to their public behavior (like Larry Craig promoting Republican "family values" in public, while cheating on his wife and having gay sex in private). The third is if a politician's private conduct creates a conflict of interest.
Again, this scandal isn't about sex. It's about corruption. It's about judgment. McCain's relationship with Iseman was both hypocritical and a conflict of interest--McCain's attacks on lobbyists and special interests contradicts his close relationship with Iseman, while Iseman's company had business before the Senate committee McCain chaired.
It's clear McCain had an inappropriately-close relationship with a special interest lobbyist. Whether or not he slept with her is only relevant as far as it illustrates how deep his relationship with her was; even if McCain was never intimate with Iseman, his relationship with her was still inappropriate.
Supporters of McCain are trying to brush this story off as a one-day scandal, but the damage it's causing to McCain may be irreparable. Remember, McCain became a clean government crusader after he was caught up in the Keating Five scandal in the 90's. Reforming his image and reinventing himself was crucial to McCain's career--it's why he was the only member of the Keating Five to survive the 90's, and why he's the only member of the Keating Five still serving in Congress.
The NY Times severely undercut McCain's image as a clean government crusader by revealing McCain's history of close ties to a multitude of lobbyists, including Ms. Iseman. That was a major revelation, and it lead to the discovery of more of McCain's ties to lobbyists. Just read The Washington Post's follow-up:
For years, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has railed against lobbyists and the influence of "special interests" in Washington, touting on his campaign Web site his fight against "the 'revolving door' by which lawmakers and other influential officials leave their posts and become lobbyists for the special interests they have aided."
But when McCain huddled with his closest advisers at his rustic Arizona cabin last weekend to map out his presidential campaign, virtually every one was part of the Washington lobbying culture he has long decried. His campaign manager, Rick Davis, co-founded a lobbying firm whose clients have included Verizon and SBC Telecommunications. His chief political adviser, Charles R. Black Jr., is chairman of one of Washington's lobbying powerhouses, BKSH and Associates, which has represented AT&T, Alcoa, JPMorgan and U.S. Airways.
Senior advisers Steve Schmidt and Mark McKinnon work for firms that have lobbied for Land O' Lakes, UST Public Affairs, Dell and Fannie Mae.
This scandal calls into question one of McCain's most important attributes--his judgment. First, McCain's aides had to warn him repeatedly about the inappropriateness of his relationship with Iseman. Second, McCain put his image as a clean government reformer in jeopardy, even though that image has been central to his political career. Third, even after he escaped from the Keating Five scandal with his career intact, McCain still developed close ties to --and performed a variety of favors for--special interests and lobbyists.
Tristero says it best:
In other words, McCain admits his judgment is frequently awful. Even when he knows better, he can't help himself sometimes- he's easily, and dangerously, swayed by strong personalities and by his need for friendships with such people. But think about what that means. Even if you cut him slack on a personal level - something along the level of, "well, at least he has the courage to admit he's wrong and the insight to know why" - this is not the kind of personality you want negotiating with Vladimir Putin, to pick just one example.
Sure. Everyone makes mistakes. And even though McCain makes spectacular mistakes, that in and of itself isn't the real crux of the problem. Rather it's this: By his own admission, McCain can't learn from his mistakes. He knows himself that his personality is too rigid. That is the critical difference between John McCain and a truly qualified candidate for President of the United States. And no amount of straight-shooting hype will change that.
No, this won't go away. McCain won't be able to run as a campaign finance reformer or a clean government crusader without this story--and the revelations it's brought up--resurfacing. When McCain talks about his experience in the Senate, it will be tainted by discussion of his various favors to lobbyists and special interests. And when John McCain tries to talk about his judgment, his arguments will be undercut by how his poor judgment has repeatedly put him in ethically-questionable situations.
This is about judgment. Right now, McCain's is--rightfully--being scrutinized. The question is, will be he able to emerge from this with his credibility intact? Or will this scandal irreparably harm both McCain's campaign and his career?
Only time will tell.