Candidate's Character Seen As Defining Campaign Issue

Summary

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The flap over the big New York Times story about Sen. John McCain's ties to lobbyists centers, understandably, on its most sensational allegation: That his dealings eight years ago with an attractive young woman, a lobbyist with blue-chip clients, were so frequent and so cordial - at a time when his 2000 presidential campaign was revving up - that aides got worried and warned him that people might suspect romance.

The Times has taken a lot of heat for reporting this. McCain and the lobbyist both deny ever having an affair, and the article offered nothing to suggest the aides had good reason for grinding their teeth - no evidence of weekends in Bimini, room-service breakfasts for two, amorous glances or even warm handshakes.

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Extract

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Candidate's Character Seen As Defining Campaign Issue

So the grounds for even raising the possibility of a romance were mushy. But my concern is not with whether McCain had an affair, it's to what degree that matters - and whether the press is rig...

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