Posted by Jed Lewison on Fri May 9, 2008 at 12:31 PM Pacific

Let the vetting of John McCain begin

At this point, the public has heard more vetting of Obama than they ever wanted to hear. (Wright, Ayers, Rezko, Hamas, bowling, bitter, cling and did you know he's African-American?)

But there hasn't been much about John McCain other than a weak story about his relationship with a female lobbyist.

He's got more than his mic upside-down

Today, Washington Post begins to change that with a story about an Arizona land deal pushed by McCain that helped one of his key backers. (More background here from kos diarist kubla000.)

McCain presents himself as Mr. Clean when it comes to ethics and integrity, but stories like this will challenge that image.

Here's two more examples of things that the voting public doesn't know but should know -- and will know -- about John McCain:

** McCain is one hundred percent pro-life/anti-choice, and in the 1990s he sided with abortion-clinic bombers and opposed a tough new law against abortion-clinic terrorism. McCain does well with independent, pro-choice women, many of whom don't realize that he strongly favors repealing Roe v. Wade and will do everything in his power to appoint a Supreme Court that will take away their reproductive freedom (or their daughters' if they are beyond child-bearing age).

** McCain helped foreign-owned Airbus win a massive contract for aerial refueling tankers -- costing thousands of good jobs at Boeing throughout the United States. Meanwhile, several of his top aides and advisors are Airbus lobbyists. This will be especially important in Missouri and will guarantee that Washington state does not come into play.

I could go on, but my point is more a meta one: now that the primary is basically over, John McCain is returning to the spotlight. He's going to be put through the same vetting that Obama has gone through over the past couple of months.

McCain will now be assessed with a newly critical eye, and if today's story in the Washington Post is any indication, he might not look that good under scrutiny.

Let the vetting of John McCain begin

At this point, the public has heard more vetting of Obama than they ever wanted to hear. (Wright, Ayers, Rezko, Hamas, bowling, bitter, cling and did you know he's African-American?)

But there hasn't been much about John McCain other than a weak story about his relationship with a female lobbyist.

He's got more than his mic upside-down

Today, Washington Post begins to change that with a story about an Arizona land deal pushed by McCain that helped one of his key backers. (More background here from kos diarist kubla000.)

McCain presents himself as Mr. Clean when it comes to ethics and integrity, but stories like this will challenge that image.

Here's two more examples of things that the voting public doesn't know but should know -- and will know -- about John McCain:

** McCain is one hundred percent pro-life/anti-choice, and in the 1990s he sided with abortion-clinic bombers and opposed a tough new law against abortion-clinic terrorism. McCain does well with independent, pro-choice women, many of whom don't realize that he strongly favors repealing Roe v. Wade and will do everything in his power to appoint a Supreme Court that will take away their reproductive freedom (or their daughters' if they are beyond child-bearing age).

** McCain helped foreign-owned Airbus win a massive contract for aerial refueling tankers -- costing thousands of good jobs at Boeing throughout the United States. Meanwhile, several of his top aides and advisors are Airbus lobbyists. This will be especially important in Missouri and will guarantee that Washington state does not come into play.

I could go on, but my point is more a meta one: now that the primary is basically over, John McCain is returning to the spotlight. He's going to be put through the same vetting that Obama has gone through over the past couple of months.

McCain will now be assessed with a newly critical eye, and if today's story in the Washington Post is any indication, he might not look that good under scrutiny.

The Jed Report Home Page

© Jed Lewison