The stuff about the alleged affair was weak, though there may be something more to come out about that - who knows. Perhaps the NYT didn't want to get too raunchy. They don't even publish naughty words. Don't be surprised if it comes out in another reputable, but less restrained outlet any day now.

I have heard (on CNN, I think) that the story was leaked to the NYT in mid-November and the NYT was heavily questioning him about it around Thanksgiving. He and the lobbyist lawyered up over it, even. They had intended to run it in late December if it developed into anything really solid, which would have killed his primary run just before Iowa. They decided not to run it for whatever reason at the last minute and they shelved it.

Then just in the last couple weeks, The New Republic was going to write a feature about the controversy inside the NYT newsroom about this story. And now -guess what - the NYT runs the story, (possibly to make it look like they're not protecting McCain as they did Bush on wiretapping before the 2004 election, who knows.)

At the end of the article where they talked about the favors he may have done for her clients (writing letters to FCC regulators pushing for them to approve certain media consolidation rules) is what really pricked up my ears. This seemed like the really disgraceful part to me. It's unfortunate that it required such a titillating article about a naughty affair for anyone to bother reporting about any of the characters or their crimes behind what's happened to our media ownership rules. I really didn't know he was such a champion of this. I have really lost respect for him over that part. To think when I lived in AZ in 2004, I actually voted for his re-election because I thought he was an ethical Senator.

And with the revelations behind his high-pressure role in the deregulation of our broadcast media, there should be no more mystery behind why the big media giants have treated him so favorably in his presidential run from the get-go. So don't expect to hear about anything but the sex bits on TV.