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First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



McCain: Those lobbyist ties...

Posted: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 9:16 AM by Mark Murray

Here come the McCain campaign lobbyist stories… The AP: “Top current advisers to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign last year lobbied for a European plane maker that beat Boeing to a $35 billion Air Force tanker contract, taking sides in a bidding fight that McCain has tried to referee for more than five years. Two of the advisers gave up their lobbying work when they joined McCain's campaign. A third, former Texas Rep. Tom Loeffler, lobbied for the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. while serving as McCain's national finance chairman.”

The Washington Post tracks down a native Cuban, who interviewed McCain while he was a POW. "The Granma clipping in Barral's restaurant, dated Jan. 24, 1970, recalls one of the defining periods of McCain's life, his 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war after his Navy jet was shot down over North Vietnam. The tale of that photo and how an obscure Cuban psychologist came to interview McCain -- now a 71-year-old U.S. senator from Arizona and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee -- rouses the echoes, curiosities and suspicions of another era."

The first round of health articles hit today, with McCain promising a full release of his medical records in the next two months.

A big fundraising week for McCain… "Six days after clinching the Republican nomination, McCain headed Monday to a fundraiser in St. Louis. He planned to continue today in New York, Wednesday in Boston, Thursday in Pennsylvania and Friday in Chicago to counter an explosion in giving to the Democratic contenders who each set personal bests in February."

“Former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato is headlining a fund-raiser tonight at The Plaza hotel that will drop ‘about $1 million’ into John McCain's campaign kitty, sources said,” per the New York Post.

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Comments

McHypocrit should have a drink with Spitzer....the two can share how they rose to the top of the hypcrit's ladder!  McCain should be careful, because Spitzer slipped near the top rung, and had fallen...McCain, you're next!
28 Dem's Voted for the War, Was their Judgment wrong also?

In this election, we offer that choice. Our Party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. And that man is John Kerry.

John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and service because they’ve defined his life. From his heroic service to Vietnam, to his years as a prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he's devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we’ve seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available.

His values and his record affirm what is best in us. John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded; so instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he offers them to companies creating jobs here at home.

John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves.

John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren’t held hostage to the profits of oil companies, or the sabotage of foreign oil fields.

John Kerry believes in the Constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties, nor use faith as a wedge to divide us.

And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world war must be an option sometimes, but it should never be the first option.

McCain has ties to lobbyists? Say it ain't so! All those earmarks he includes in bills must be to pay off to the lobbyists. Wait, McCain doesn't do any earmarks.

And about the tanker plane. America is getting a better product for the money, and doing most of the assembly work in the US. McCain gave the taxpayers their money's worth, unlike like protectionists Clinton and Obama would do.
The Washington Post seems to be as desperate as The Clinton's, having to dig back a LONGGGGGG time to find something juicy about John McCain.

John McCain releases his medical records....
Now If only Hillary will release her tax records....

"I have more scars than Frankenstein."  -- John McCain


A hundred years of war, tied to lobbyists, and same old republican economics -- more scary than Frankenstein, that’s for sure.


Obama/Webb 08
You mean the Cubans didn't waterboard him?!?  Maybe they considered that inhumane torture that never really results in accurate information.  I didn't think a banana republic like that could be more moral and outwit us like that...Maybe Mccainadunable should've voted that the Cubans use waterboarding, too...
Well when you need a story on a Republican go back to your base the communist party.
"Top current advisers to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign last year lobbied for a European plane maker that beat Boeing to a $35 billion Air Force tanker contract ..."
--I generally have two rules for politicians.  1) Stay away from MN bathrooms and 2) Don't mess with Boeing.  I'm just saying, Boeing is MORE American than apple pie w/ a hotdog (cite: Colbert), and twice as delicious.


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