Vicki Iseman: 25 John Mcain-Vicki Iseman Affair Quotes

Something for those too busy to get the whole scoop.

25 quotes taken from the John McCain-Vicki Iseman story--with two bonus quotes.

Quotations from before, during and after the New York Times released the story--by the principle participants and others.

27 quotes in all.

Enjoy!

“People like that appeal to me.”

--John McCain, on Charles Keating, in his memoir, "Worth Fighting For"

"More importantly, my children and I not only trust my husband, but know that he would never do anything to not only disappoint our family, but more importantly, disappoint the people of America."

--Cindy McCain, February 21, 2008.
Cindy McCain was involved with the then-married John McCain, before they were married.

"Obviously I'm very disappointed in the article. It's not true,"

--John McCain February 21, 2008

"There is no better illustration of everything that is WRONG with Washington than the John McCain-Vicki Iseman tryst. The Republican Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee carrying on with a comely female Republican lobbyist who represents the corporate interests of other Republicans with business before the committee and who donates to the chairman's campaigns. Wow!"

--Joseph Palmero, Huffington Post

"If she has nothing to hide, I think she should come forward."

--Gennifer Flowers, former mistress of Bill Clinton, on the TV Show "Extra"

"I had no reason to ask her."

--former McCain top aide, John Weaver, on whether he'd asked Iseman about a romantic affair with John McCain

"I know John McCain [and] attended North Phoenix Baptist Church with him for years. He tried to get many of us to invest in the BFA scandal we told him it was a fraud; he insisted anyway. Later after it was indicted and a fraud, he admitted they supported him with some of the ill gotten gains. He knew it was a Ponzi fraud and yet tried to get us to give it money which then went to him. McCain is a phony and fraud and he should have been indicted in the BFA Scandal."

--Scott, in a comment left on DBKP story, "John McCain: New Female Lobbyist Scandal?"

“Why is she always around?”

--Unnamed McCain aide asking about Iseman in 2000.

“He is essentially an honorable person, but he can be imprudent.”

--William P. Cheshire, a friend of Mr. McCain who as editorial page editor of The Arizona Republic defended him during the Keating Five scandal

"THE NEW YORK TIMES may have raised some questions about John McCain yesterday, but it sure answered a biggie: How does an old white guy get attention when he's running against the potentially first African-American or female president?"

--Jill Porter in the Philadelphia Enquirer

“We used to joke that each of us was the only one eating alone in our caucus."

--Senator Russ Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin, who became Mr. McCain’s partner on campaign finance efforts, which many conservatives have decried as suppression of free speech and unconstitutional.

“Her conduct and what she allegedly had told people, which made its way back to us.”

--John Weaver, top former McCain aide

“I never discussed with him alleged things I had ‘told people,’ that had made their way ‘back to’ him.”

Vicki Iseman, in an e-mail message to the NY Times

"Get lost".

--former McCain top aide, John Weaver, to Iseman

"Obviously, I'm very disappointed in The New York Times."

--Cindy McCain, February 21 2008

"McCain might not have had sex with "that woman" -- Ms. Iseman -- but Ms. Iseman's corporate clients were balls deep inside McCain's Commerce Committee."

--Joseph Palmero, Huffington Post

"She should surround herself with excellent advisors before she makes any statements."

--Gennifer Flowers, on "Extra"

“I would very much like to think that I have never been a man whose favor can be bought.”

--John McCain, about his Keating experience in his 2002 memoir, “Worth the Fighting For.”

“That imprudence or recklessness may be part of why he was not more astute about the risks he was running with this shady operator.”

--William P. Cheshire on Charles Keating, whose ties to Mr. McCain and four other lawmakers resulted in censure of one senator and investigation of all five, including McCain.

"John McCain plus lobbyist Vicki Iseman equals trouble for Republicans. Just ask the New York Times."

--comment left on YouTube video almost a month before the New York Times released the Iseman-McCain story by the mysterious EllaLohan

"Sanctimonious.”

--Unnamed Bush backer, describing John McCain.

"The New York Times spent about three thousand words attacking the presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain with some sort of charges about a lobbyist named Vicki Iseman. They used a bunch of unnamed sources for what many have called a hit piece and that drew comparisons for the newspaper to the National Enquirer.

But is that fair? Probably not for the Enquirer."

--Wendy Cook, in the National Ledger

“Why didn’t I fully grasp the unusual appearance of such a meeting?”

--John McCain about two private meetings with regulators to urge them to ease up on Keating during the Keating Five.

“I never had any good reason to think that the relationship was anything other than professional, a friendly professional relationship.”

--Mark Salter, Mr. McCain’s top strategists in both of his presidential campaigns, who disputed accounts from the former associates and aides and said they did not discuss Ms. Iseman with the senator or colleagues.

"We have the predictable news conference, in which the politician drags out the adoring wife to bolster him as he stands in front of reporters and denies everything."

--Jill Porter, in the Philadelphia Enquirer

“Unless he [McCain] gives you special treatment or takes legislative action against his own views, I don’t think his personal and social relationships matter.”

--Charles Black, McCain friend and campaign adviser who has previously lobbied the senator for aviation, broadcasting and tobacco concerns.

“Any hint that I might have acted to reward a supporter would be taken as an egregious act of hypocrisy.”

--John McCain, in him memoir

Did John McCain and Vicki Iseman discuss "special favors" for her while engaged in "special favors" for him?

We don't know.

But that won't stop people from talking about it--for a while anyway.

DBKP Political Scandal Library

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