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McCain Shrugs Shoulders over FEC Letter
From Reuters:
But at a campaign stop in Indiana, McCain replied with a dismissive "no" when asked if he was concerned by the FEC's letter."It's not a decision. It's an opinion, according to our people," he said.
See my rundown of the issue here. Essentially what McCain is saying is that since the FEC is effectively shut down, a letter from its chairman carries no weight.
It's a take that drew a sharp analogy from Republican election lawyer Jan Baran, who was quoted by The Washington Post as saying that McCain's position ""is like saying you're going to break into houses because the sheriff is out of town."
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Comments (19)
Now where have I heard that before?
Oh, yeah, bush heard such things from people named Yoo.
DoJ. OLC. Oh, yeah....
Hmm.... Rule of Law anyone?
February 22, 2008 4:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
A piece of Howard Dean's comments to the National Journal, via dday @ digby. Sounds like Dean has the right framing for this whole deal:
Dean: I have no idea whether the affair story is true or not, and I don't care. What I do care about is John McCain -- and this has been well-documented -- is talking all the time about being a reformer and a maverick, and in fact, he has taken thousands of dollars from corporations, ridden on their corporate jets, and then turned around and tried to do favors for them and get projects approved. He has tons of lobbyists on his staff. This is a guy who is very close to the lobbyist community, a guy who has been documented again and again by taking contributions and then doing favors for it. This is not a guy who is a reformer. This is a guy who has been in Washington for 25 years and wants to give us four more years of the same, and I don't think we need that.
February 22, 2008 4:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Think I may have gotten the wrong thread (Friday hurriedness, plz excuse) but the Dean NJ comments still a must read on burgeoning McBushGate.
February 22, 2008 4:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
So it is safe to assume that Rove just put Jan Baran on the "I will f*%k her like she has never been f*%ked" list?
February 22, 2008 4:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yet one more reason why Obama is a much better candidate against McCain - how can Hillary point a finger at his massive ties to lobbyists with her campaign - and husband - so heavily tied up with them as well?
February 22, 2008 5:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Someone needs to ask McCain if he feels his actions at least violate the spirit of McCain/Feingold.
Or, if he thinks, based on his own experience, McCain/Feingold is a failure....
February 22, 2008 5:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Brilliant, just brilliant.
February 22, 2008 7:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
For you legal wonks, please see the following, courtesy of your DOJ (always looking out for your rights):
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/pin/docs/electbook-0507.pdf
Perhaps St.McCain should read it also.
February 22, 2008 5:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
@YesIWantFries: "She"? You mean:
http://www.wileyreinfielding.com/directory.cfm?attorney_id=399
February 22, 2008 5:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
is mccain even ON THE BALLOT in Indiana ???
I heard his candidacy was challenged over a failure to collect enough signatures in one congressional district
or something like that
anybody ???
I don't do the google
theres people in there ...
February 22, 2008 5:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
McCain: For campaign finance regulation before he was against it.
February 22, 2008 5:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Someone needs to tell McCain that you actually need to be elected before you can use executive privilege to break the law with impunity.
At the very least Obama needs to keep hammering on this so his own opting out will become a non-issue.
February 22, 2008 5:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bush: "I know that my intelligence services said with high confidence that Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapons program, but that's just their opinion."
McCain: "I know that the FEC said I can't unilaterally withdraw from the matching-fund program, but that's just their opinion."
Four more years!
February 22, 2008 6:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Very weak attempt at a hit piece on the Times. Their story told me the following:
February 22, 2008 6:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Very weak attempt at a hit piece on the Times. Their story told me the following:
February 22, 2008 6:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Very weak attempt at a hit piece on the Times. As I learned at Reed College many years, just because its a powerful institution does not mean you can throw casually picked up mud whenever you want and always hit a legitimate target.
The Times story told me that his own advisers believed he had crossed the line, whether it be close friendship or more, with a lobbyist for whom he had done favors, whose client's corporate jet he flew on, whom he apparently escorted to at least one intimate dinner. They were legitimate sources, although unnamed, unless your paranoia is going to tell you that they made them up. One such source was actually named and he has since confirmed much of this story to the media. They nailed down their facts and then they printed them. I think they did a great job and I suspect you will be hearing more from them and from the other journalists who take their investigative cues from the Times.
February 22, 2008 6:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
According to McCain, the candidates can do whatever they want since a quorum doesn't exist.
February 22, 2008 10:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
McCain Hypocrite?
Last week John McCain was calling for Barack Obama to stick to his pledge to use public financing in the general election.
McCain Calls for Obama to Use Public Financing (February 15, 2008)
“It was very clear to me that Senator Obama had agreed to having public financing of the general election campaign if I did the same thing,” he said after a town hall meeting here.
“I made the commitment to the American people that if I was the nominee of my party, I would go the route of public financing. I expect Senator Obama to keep his word to the American people as well.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/us/politics/15cnd-campaign.html?hp
That was last week…
McCain didn’t just make statements of his intention to use the public financing program for the primary election, but in fact enrolled into the system. Now McCain wants to withdraw from the primary matching fund system. (even after benefiting from the program, by securing a loan in part based on his ability to use funds from the program should his campaign not go well). The only problem is now he can’t leave the program, because he needs the FEC’s permission to do so.
So, I guess that means that McCain was for public financing, before he was against it, but still thinks it applies Obama who is not in the program, but not to himself who is in the program. Hmmm. I hate to sound like a Republican, but do you think this might be a good time for the left wing blogosphere to start calling McCain hypocrite or Flip/Flopper?
February 24, 2008 10:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, but calling St. McCain a hypocrite or a flip-flopper where others can hear lowers us to their level (rolls eyes). You'd be shock to see how many on our side would rather be "fair" than win. I, however, am all for rubbing their noses in it at every opportunity.
February 24, 2008 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink