Today's NYT article on McCain's ties to the gambling industry is explosive for a number of reasons.
The article has been diaried a number of times, focusing on different elements, but I don't think any have raised the larger question of providing a foundation for strengthening the McCain is a Gambler meme.
As the world continues to teeter on the edge of economic collapse, it's clear that we can't trust the Presidency in the hands of a compulsive gambler, a reckless and volatile old craps player.
The Times article reveals that his campaign is stacked full of lobbyists and that he has a long history of delivering for them.
As factions of the ferociously competitive gambling industry have vied for an edge, they have found it advantageous to cultivate a relationship with Mr. McCain or hire someone who has one, according to an examination based on more than 70 interviews and thousands of pages of documents.
Mr. McCain portrays himself as a Washington maverick unswayed by special interests, referring recently to lobbyists as "birds of prey." Yet in his current campaign, more than 40 fund-raisers and top advisers have lobbied or worked for an array of gambling interests — including tribal and Las Vegas casinos, lottery companies and online poker purveyors.
The article also shows how McCain used his position Senate oversight role to burnish his image as a good-government maverick, defending the interests of American Indians. At the same time he was serving the interests of lobbying clients of his close political associates and punishing political foes from his 2002 presidential primary loss in South Carolina.
And there's much, much more.
But I think it echoes a theme that has been growing louder and louder, especially after his reckless pick of Sarah Palin to be his running mate. And more than that, it's a theme that he himself injects into the debate and an identity he seems to relish.
Last week, after declaring the fundamentals of the economy sound, McCain reversed course wildly and blamed our economic woes on a Casino Culture He would know.
And this past week, as he was bobbing and weaving about whether he would participate in the debates, Brian Williams asked him, If you were a betting man, would you bet we'll see you in Oxford, Mississippi tomorrow night? His response: Well, I am a betting man....
Say no more.
I think this new identity of being a reckless Gambler is a twist on the Maverick, and basically helps to erase his Straight Talk brand, which is now hopelessly in the ditch.
I realize I may incur the wrath of some who have diaried other aspects of this story. But I do think it goes beyond a particular set of facts and practices, however egregious, and really goes to his core identity.