McCain may be screwn (and Huck may walk away w/ the nom):

[smoogatz]

Turns out McCain accepted more than sexual favors from Miss Vicki:

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, McCain has taken nearly $1.2 million in campaign contributions from the telephone utility and telecom service industries, more than any other Senator. McCain sides with the telecom companies on retroactive immunity.

McCain is also the single largest recipient of campaign contribution by Ion Media Networks — formerly Paxson Communication — receiving $36,000 from the company and employees from 1997 to mid-year 2006.

In 2004, as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, McCain reversed a position and took “crucial legislative action” that saved Paxson Communications from “financial ruin.” Drew Clark reports:

McCain initially supported legislation that would have forced Paxson and handful of broadcasters — but not the great bulk of television stations — off the air by December 31, 2006. Bud Paxson himself personally testified about this bill with “fear and trepidation” at a hearing on September 8, 2004.

Two weeks later, McCain had reversed himself. He now supported legislation that would grant two-year reprieve for Paxson — and instead force all broadcasters to stop transmitting analog television by December 31, 2008. Paxson and his lobbyists, including Iseman, were working at this time for just such a change.

Vicki Iseman has represented Paxson since 1998, longer than any of her other clients. The Washington Post reports that Iseman’s clients have given nearly $85,000 to McCain campaigns since 2000, according to records at the Federal Election Commission.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/21/mccain-special-interest-money/

Some people say (heh!) that Huckabee stands to gain the most from the recent spate of reportage. Is a rightwing ratfuck in the works?

http://demosthenes.blogspot.com/2008/02/yippee-kay-yay-gop.html

[MNDemNY]

1. Here comes Jebby!!!

[bdamomma]

4. oh please no.

[tekisui]

9. sure defeat.

[TexasBushwhacker]

17. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
:puke:

[fascisthunter]

21. He'd Lose Big Time... I Say, "Bring It On!!!" (nt)

[rpannier]

2. If this stpry has serious legs

Romney will probably revive his 'dormant' campaign

[Tom Joad]

5. that's more likely. and it is interesting that he said it was "dormant"

rather than just calling it off.

[smoogatz]

6. It's an interesting question: if there's a contested convention,

and McCain drops out, who wins the nom? Huck or the hairdo known as Mitt Romney?

[AngryOldDem]

39. It's all making sense now, isn't it?

I recall a lot of people were wondering at the time 1) what, exactly, is a "suspended" campaign, and 2) why is Romney doing this?

The questions may soon be answered, eh?

[Tom Joad]

3. didn't he appear on the johnny carson show with her?

ohhhh, nevermind... i was thinkin of another miss vicki.

[DemoTex]

20. That was Miss Vicky, with a "Y"!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

7. Huckabee is a genius!

:think:





:freak:

[Submariner]

8. OMG! Huckleberry will be the repuke nominee

This is amazing!! What a closet crook!

[belpejic]

41. Go Huckles! n/t

[islandmkl]

10. "...get that Bush boy on the line...yeah, the smarter one. What?...

he's GOTTA be the smarter one. Sure as hell it ain't George or Neil. Go get him...tell him the Party needs him. And tell him to practice up on his Bible quotes real quick, you hear?"

[NNN0LHI]

11. Maybe they will take Phred Thompson out of mothballs again?

He should be all rested up by now.

Don

[Tom Joad]

14. tan, ready and rested! you go Fred!

[Kitty Herder]

32. Oh, Lord, NO!

[Dhalgren]

12. How will this hurt McCain?

We're talking Republicans, here, right? Wide-stance, page-diddler, prostitutes and fraud Republicans? How would this have any bearing on McCain's run? Republicans don't care about all this - only "values"...whatever that means...

[Tom Joad]

16. hum, they couldn't nominate rudy, craig was nearly run out of office

and certainly will not run for re-election. so it does make a difference.

[Happyhippychick]

18. True. They would only take notice if he had a gay affair, they're not bothered

by hetero stuff.

[smoogatz]

19. It goes to the heart of McCain's political persona: you can't be a straight-

shooter if you're taking bribes AND blowjobs from the telecom lobby, can you? I think it doesn't hurt him with the wingnut war-monger vote, but it hurts him badly with moderate Republicans and values fence-sitters. He's already lost the fundies and the nativists; I'll bet my elderly Republican grand-parents-in-law wish they had Romney back right about now.

[wryter2000]

13. Interesting

Is a rightwing ratfuck in the works?

I was seriously hoping Rove would screw over McCain again. I kind of doubt that's what's happened here, but I'd sure enjoy the :beer: and :popcorn: to watch that story unfold.

[L. Coyote]

15. "Is a rightwing ratfuck in the works?" Maybe a 2000 op that finally fruited?

This sounds like something from 2000 Bush opposition research!
That may be why staff was so worried then, ratsters Karl, Dick, and George.

[whistle]

22. The right-wing neocons would like nothing better then to stick in Michael Bloom-butt

...a true fascist who with his own money could buy the presidency and install a Nazi dictatorship in the country. :wtf:

[DCKit]

29. I think Bloomburg's too "Single" for the Republics.

Even the batshit crazy neocons.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

23. Listen, McCain rallied behind Campaign Finance Reform.

He never said anything about Campaign Hooker Reform, so I don't think this thing has legs.

[electropop]

24. Would have been better to let him sew up the nomination THEN release it.

:evilgrin:

[idovoodoo]

25. I don't think there's any danger of Huckleberry getting the nom

the repugs are dumb but they ain't THAT dumb...

[endarkenment]

26. It explains why Huckleberry stayed in.

And here I thought he was just organizing for 2012. Seems he was instead organizing for 2008.

[cloudythescribbler]

27. Don't forget, folks -- McCain is a Repuglican & that's the way they DO IT...

as to whether the Democrats are really any better, and if so by how much, remains to be seen. But a little backfield action shouldn't stop McCain from not only getting the nomination but uniting his party behind him. It just proves he's "for real".

And don't think the Repuke slime machine won't go after Obama EVERY BIT as much as the Hillary supporters claim they will. Weathering that, if successful, he then would have to deal with the "filibuster everything" strategy used early on against Clinton, and then the politics of the situation was such that, instead of being ridden out of town on greased rails, the way the GOP SHOULD have been if Clinton had fought hard (successfully or not) for a progressive platform instead of what he did do, they managed to take over Congress. Speaking of hope -- I VERY MUCH HOPE that Obama will not give us another Clintonite scenario in the WH.

[Kitty Herder]

33. Hey, I like that second paragraph. nt

[ThomWV]

28. When it comes to personal word creation "Screwn" seems to be a natural winner to me

There is no doubt what the word means, only a little doubt that its really a word. If its not it should be.

[PurityOfEssence]

30. Hmmm...Huckabee vs. Obama? That's a whole lotta Jesus...

Whatever.

[Kitty Herder]

31. (Screwn? Is that a word?) No matter what, this is good news.

It will either make McCain easier to beat, or it will give us a race against Huck who will be easier to beat than McCain.

[malaise]

34. Screwn is in the Freeper dictionary for morans

It is the past tense of screw. Word is that one night in the breading pool someone came up with this gem :shrug:

[Kitty Herder]

35. LOL nt

[Dhalgren]

36. What's a "breading pool"? It sounds ewwwww....

:rofl:

[ThomWV]

37. "Breading Pool": 1. n., Republican reproduction ritual involving prayer bonnets and bathing suits.

[Dhalgren]

38. What do they do with the "bread" - no, don't tell me! YACK!

:puke:

[malaise]

40. It's where they satisfy their

breading kneads :rofl: