Joe, the plumber, Vickie Iseman and McCain campaign weirdness

Further evidence that the McCain campaign is running amok comes from the Republican plant, Joe the plumber, who rose up out of nowhere at an Obama rally just as Obama was walking down the rope, to ask Obama a pointed question, the answer to which was irrelevant. Obama was set up by this non-licensed plumber who's never made $250K in a year in his life.

McCain can't give Joe up, though, in spite of the fact that none of this has a damn thing to do with anything except to showcase McCain's lies about Obama's tax plan. In fact, McCain called Joe today and they discussed "stuff." Isn't that wonderful? And then McCain suggested people e-mail Joe to show their support for him. The problem is that the Internet-challenged McCain didn't offer a way to e-mail him as he didn't give out Joe's e-mail address.

Weird.


It's get weirder. Vickie Iseman, the lobbyist, who earlier this year was thought to be having an affair with McCain, told the National Journal magazine just the other day, "I did not have a sexual relationship with Senator McCain."

What the hell's going on here? Vickie Iseman's been old-news for many months. So far as I know, nobody at this point is asking whether she had an affair with her pet goat, much less McCain. So why would she make such a statement, "out-of-the-blue," so to speak?

One reporter suggested that something may be in the wind and Iseman is trying to head it off before it starts. Hmmm...


Both McCain and Iseman have denied there was anything inappropriate in their relationship.

She could be telling truth. Here's what we know: Iseman works for a lobbying firm which represented Paxson Communications for which McCain did some favors back in 1999. Those favors involved writing letters to the FCC to suggest the FCC give rapid consideration of Bud Paxon's request to buy a license for a TV station in Pittsburgh.

Paxson, at the time, was personally giving big bucks to McCain for his 2000 presidential bid, and Paxson employees gave McCain over $20K. Paxon also gifted McCain with the use of his company's jet on at least four different occasions in 1999 for campaign travel.

We also know that both McCain and Iseman have lied. McCain said, "At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust." He must have forgotten Mr. Keating or he has a really warped view as to what it means to "betray" the public trust.

Iseman lied when she said "I have never even been alone with Senator McCain." According to news reports she was alone with McCain on a Paxson jet flight from Florida to Washington.


Back to square one: Why, in god's name, would Ms. Iseman bring all of this to the fore now? What possible motivation could she have? Unless...unless...as suggested above, someone is about to make public allegations about herself and Senator McCain.

Or maybe she just wants 15 more minutes of fame.

Weird.