Branding McCain

When even his loyal buddies at the Imus Show say John McCain has some 'splainin' to do, you know he's in deep doo-doo. Guest Jeff Greenfield says the key question is: can McCain deal with questions about telecom advocacy in the context that goes back to the Keating 5 S&L scandal.

In Prairie Country, the b.s. detectors will be on full alert for McCain's scheduled press conference in about an hour. Serious questions of impropriety are raised by the articles in the NYTimes and Washington Post.

I don't care doo-dly whether there's a "romantic" or "salacious" side to this story, it's the conflict of interest side I want clarity on. Did McCain exceed his role as Senator and Chairman of the Senate Commer Committee in writing letters and contacting the FCC on behalf of telecommunications companies represented by a lobbyist he had cozy ties to?

And why did the NYTimes allegedly sit on yet another story that served to protect a Republican candidate? The New Republic was looking for answers to that one.

The integrity of both the media and the politicians will be on display today. And through it all, good ol' Bob Bennett will be dippin' his beak into the pie. You know there's trouble a-brewin' when his name surfaces in a scandal.