The XX Factor: Slate women blog about politics, etc...

It's About Vicki, Stupid

That New York Times story about McCain's "self-confidence on ethics" is one of the weirdest news stories I've ever read. This is not a story about McCain's coziness with lobbyists and whether his line about money corrupting politics is a lie. It's not a story about his post-Keating career. It's a story about his post-Cheating career. I guarantee you 99 percent of readers will skip over that fat historical midsection rehashing Keating to the end, where they get back to what John Weaver did or didn't tell Vicki Iseman at Union Station.

Why can't the Times just admit this? I understand the New Republic was ready to out them, but so what? Either they write the cheating story or they don't. They can't dress it up as a serious story about his policy positions or his general "ethics." As it is, it just looks like a lame story where they quote a bunch of anonymous old campaign sources but don't have any actual evidence of the affair themselves. And they make it much easier for McCain to just stomp on the story by blathering on about his integrity and honesty and his long record of getting money out of politics, blah, blah.

As for whether newspapers should report on affairs or not: I always say yes. It's not an absolute damnation, but it says something about a man, especially one who sells himself on his character and integrity. And if America doesn't care, well, then that says something, too—that the era of family values is officially over. 

My only remaining question: Why did he bother? She looks exactly like Cindy.

Read more posts about John McCain and Vicki Iseman.