BartBlog

John McCain’s Secret Medical Records Revealed

After more than a year of stalling, John McCain is finally making his medical records public. However, the process by which he is releasing the data suggests that he hopes it doesn’t become too public. His campaign has chosen the Friday prior to the three day Memorial Day weekend for the document dump. Even worse, they are restricting access to the records to a three hour period wherein the reporters may take notes, but will not be allowed to take photos or make copies. That’s three hours to read and analyze 400 complex medical documents. The campaign also restricted the access to two newspapers, two wire services, and the national TV news networks. Prominent news organizations like the New York Times, Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, etc., were not invited. Neither were smaller players like McClatchy, weekly newspapers, alternative press, or anyone from the Internet.

However, News Corpse has acquired some of the classified records that McCain hoped would remain secret. Below is an exclusive document leaked from McCain’s medical team:

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McCain confused about his own energy policy

By: Steve Benen on Tuesday, June 17th, 2008

It just keeps getting worse with the Arizona senator. From his press conference yesterday:

QUESTION: The European Union has set mandatory targets on renewable energy. Is that something you would consider in a McCain administration? […]

MCCAIN: Sure. I believe in the cap-and-trade system, as you know. I would not at this time make those — impose a mandatory cap at this time. But I do believe that we have to establish targets for reductions of greenhouse gas emissions over time, and I think those can be met.

As Kate Sheppard explained, McCain new position is “completely out of line with his own proposal for a cap-and-trade scheme, both the plan he proposed with Joe Lieberman last year and his own presidential plan, released last month. They both would, by nature, be mandatory — hence the ‘cap’ in the name.”

In other words, McCain doesn’t understand his own policy. Or, as hilzoy noted, “The best you can say for McCain, on this point, is that he is completely unfamiliar with what is supposed to be one of his signature issues. Not knowing what ‘mandatory cap’ means, in this context, is like not knowing what a ’strike’ is in baseball.”

John McCain’s All-Lobbyist Express

The past few weeks has brought repeated announcements from the campaign of pseudo-maverick John McCain regarding the dismissal of staff members due to their lobbying activities. It’s not enough that McCain raises more money with the help of lobbyists than any other presidential candidate…

Nope, McCain also employs so many lobbyists that there seems to be a new one falling from the campaign tree every week. Amongst those having taken their leave so far are Doug Goodyear, Doug Davenport, Eric Burgeson, and Craig Shirley. The latest casualty is the campaign’s national finance co-chairman, Thomas Loeffler. Hanging low on the branch are super-lobbyists Charlie Black and campaign manager Rick Davis. Media Matters has compiled a superb list of even more tainted McCain staffers.

And speaking of McCain staffers with ties to lobbying, the announcement of Loeffler’s departure was made by Tucker Bounds, McCain’s deputy communications director. Bounds recently left his position with the American Insurance Association to join McCain’s campaign. The AIA is the “leading property-casualty insurance trade organization, representing 350 insurers that write more than $123 billion in premiums each year.”

This relationship raises an interesting question: Since Bounds, the McCain spokesperson, is himself bound to a major lobbying group, will he be called upon to announce his own dismissal?

http://www.newscorpse.com/

Granholm: McCain Not Good for Women

Saturday 14 June 2008

by: Gordon Trowbridge, The Detroit News

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm called for women to unify behind Barack Obama, saying that John McCain would be a mistake.

    Seeking to block an effort by John McCain to draw support from Hillary Clinton supporters, Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Saturday called for women to unify behind Barack Obama and attacked McCain’s record on women’s issues and the economy.

    McCain’s outreach to Clinton-backing women “is an effort to mask his effort on the issues important to the women who supported (Clinton)”, said Granholm, who supported Clinton during her primary campaign against Obama.

    Granholm spoke to reporters on a conference call organized by the Obama campaign.

    McCain on Saturday was holding a “virtual town hall” teleconference with former Clinton supporters, other Democrats and independents, seeking to capitalize on divisions created by Democrats’ long and at times bitter primary campaign. The McCain campaign released a list of more than two dozen Democrats and independents (HAHAHA A REAL MAJORITY! LOL) it said were supporting McCain.

    Granholm singled out McCain’s record on abortion, calling him “in lockstep with the Bush administration with respect to appointments to the Supreme Court, with the anti-choice crowd on committing to overturn Roe versus Wade.” That’s the Supreme Court decision upholding the legality of abortion, a decision anti-abortion activists have long sought to overturn.

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I wish I could be, but considering that he was one of the major propagandists for this administration and facilitated their march to ruinous war, I cannot be.

I have high blood pressure and have been procrastinating my doctor’s visit.

If we can take some good away from Tim Russert’s unfortunate and untimely demise, is nobody is immune from death, and procrastination or disregarding your health, can undo anybody even the most powerful.

Go see your doctor and follow his advice.

Thanks Tim.

What you have not heard?  Well Tim Russert died.  It is truly sad that a young man, in relative terms, died today, it is shocking.  If you knew Tim personally it is probably a great loss.  I am sure there were plenty of people that loved him and he might even have been a real nice guy.  I am sorry I did not know him personally.  I only knew him as a pundit and can only judge him on his public work.  Unfortunately his public work as NBC News Bureau Chief in Washington and host of “Meet the Press,” left a lot to be desired. Like many people I am shocked by his death, but I am sorry to say, not so sorry. (more…)