Smells Too Strange
For the last hour I've been trying to verify and contact a small group of people who've been passing along an extremely ugly eight-year-old story about John McCain, one to the other (including some in the media) over the last eight or nine days. The story first popped up on 9.14, and just seems too extreme to be believed.
Why am I posting this then? Because it's gotten around to some extent and the cat is more or less out of the bag, and I'm not aware of anyone having said "wait a minute, hold on here." Which is what I, a confirmed McCain hater, am saying here and now.
I don't believe any big-time politician, even one who'd recently been smeared by Karl Rove during the 2000 campaign for possibly having fathered an illegitimate black child (which was total b.s.), would pass along a racial slur about an adopted child to a woman who shares a similar ethnicity -- nobody is that dumb. My understanding of human nature just won't allow it. Even if you consider that 1998 report about John MCain telling that off-color joke about Chelsea Clinton...I still can't buy it.
The current McCain story in question originated with a San Francisco-based clinical psychologist named Anasuya Dubey, who is alleged to be the daughter of a former Indian Consul in San Francisco. I've tried to reach Dubey to no avail (she is said to be "private") but an e-mail chain has revealed a few things.
A woman who claims to have spoken to Dubey, an author named Frances Moore Lappe of Cambridge, Massachucetts ("Getting a Grip: Clarity, Creativity and Courage in a World Gone Mad") said in an e-mail to Kate Marianchild, whom I don't know, that Dubey is "wonderful" and that it "sounds like NBC is on it." Another interested reporter, according to a group e-mail sent out about the Dubey story by Mary-Kay Gamel, a UC Santa Cruz professor, is Jane Kramer of The New Yorker.
I called Lappe's office in Cambridge and left a message. I called Gamel's office and home number -- neither had a voice message and no one picked up.
The words attributed to McCain by Dubey are repulsive and incendiary, and it strikes me as awfully strange that a woman looking to see this story circulated and, more to the point, believed would be so difficult to get hold of. She thinks she can put out a first-hand story of this nature during a presidential campaign and just...what, be left alone?
I also flinch whenever words of this nature are attributed to any major-league politician running for high office. They seems too vile for even McCain to have said.
I also wonder how precise and exacting Dubey's memory may be after eight years, and whether she may have exaggerated the quote somewhat, being a woman of Indian ancestry who would naturally take great offense at such statements, if in fact they were spoken.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on September 23, 2008 at 10:43 AM
comment #1
EnglishBob
says ...
I pray this is legit, but it's GOT to be too good to be true?
Posted by EnglishBob
at September 23, 2008 11:56 AM
comment #2
Pablo Villaça
says ...
That's exactly what McCain needs right now: an opportunity to play the victim of the "Democrat-lying-machine", of stating in public how much he loves his adoptee kid and how hurt he is about all this ugly gossip.
Mind you: even if this IS true (and, honestly, I don't think it is; it's too absurd), there's no way to prove it - it's his word against Dubey's. And this will be a great chance for him to gain some sympathy.
If I was Karl Rove I'd be helping to divulge this story like a madman.
Posted by Pablo Villaça
at September 23, 2008 12:02 PM
comment #3
MAGGA
says ...
I may be cynical in saying this, but everything I've learned about American voters this election cycle would lead me to believe this would give McCain a huge bump in the polls. Any sexism involved in the story would be balanced out by giving the least qualified candidate since, well, the current president a VP spot on the basis of her gender alone, and racist attitudes are becoming clearer and clearer in the race, and seem to help McCain. To be honest, the very notion that being a POW for five years is an attribute seems nuts to me from the outset, one does develop hatred when given the Guantamo treatment.
Posted by MAGGA
at September 23, 2008 12:05 PM
comment #4
George Prager
says ...
Sounds like something that would find a home on the left wing version of http://rightwingdad.net/
Posted by George Prager
at September 23, 2008 12:08 PM
comment #5
Richardson
says ...
I don't think that story feels factually accurate, but it sure feels "true".
Posted by Richardson
at September 23, 2008 12:10 PM
comment #6
George Prager
says ...
call her, Jeff:
To order a copy, send an envelope with a 55 cent stamp to Anasuya Dubey, Bar Association of San Francisco, 685 Market Street, Suite 700, San Francisco, CA 94105; or call 415/267-0733.
Posted by George Prager
at September 23, 2008 12:10 PM
comment #7
Glenn Whipp
says ...
It's the economy, stupid.
Ignore everything else.
Posted by Glenn Whipp
at September 23, 2008 12:11 PM
comment #8
NotImpressedYet
says ...
I don't believe the story, mainly because of the things he's accused of saying about his adopted daughter. Just doesn't ring true to me. As sad as I am about McCain's despicable campaign tactics this time around, the picture this tale paints is beyond the pale of what any reasonable reading of his public life could give you.
But if it is true, and there's some way to verify it, then holy shit...
Posted by NotImpressedYet
at September 23, 2008 12:11 PM
comment #9
tommysunshine
says ...
I don't think this is true. Either way this Dubney woman is ghastly. We've all had vacations with people who turn out to be of the cousin-on-the-couch variety. Well done McCain for continuing to engage with this sanctimonious bore.
Posted by tommysunshine
at September 23, 2008 12:13 PM
comment #10
MAGGA
says ...
"Well done McCain for continuing to engage with this sanctimonious bore."
Point proven
Posted by MAGGA
at September 23, 2008 12:18 PM
comment #11
actionman
says ...
Why isn't this story being linked too at the Drudgereport
Much like anyone with half a brain, I don't want McCain or Palin running this country. But sadly, I think it's gonna happen.
Posted by actionman
at September 23, 2008 12:22 PM
comment #12
televisiontears
says ...
Really fishy. Thanks for putting this in context, Jeff. Does anyone seriously believe that an experienced politician running for president would behave like this? Even if McCain is this level of dick, you can't deny he would've toned it down at least for the duration of the campaign.
It's a bit sad to me that some people want this to be true. And it's ludicrous to think this was the McCain camp's doing: "I've got an idea, Senator. What if we release a fabricated story that paints you as a racist, sexist, borderline-insane slimeball? We'll insinuate that the Obama folks put it out, and voters will flock to us out of sympathy."
"You're fucking fired."
I can't wait until the debates - when people might start talking about policy, if only for a moment.
Posted by televisiontears
at September 23, 2008 12:24 PM
comment #13
dinther
says ...
My friends who have dealt with him in the Senate say that McCain is a megalomaniacal "old-school" (i.e., pompous and self-important) politician -- but this story seems highly embellished.
Posted by dinther
at September 23, 2008 12:34 PM
comment #14
Mark
says ...
I think this is blow by blow from an old Borat episode.
Also, any suggestion that MSM will pick this up is hopeless. They stayed away from the Edwards scandal when there was living proof that he fooled around. They won't print a story by the word only of an Obama supporter.
Posted by Mark
at September 23, 2008 12:35 PM
comment #15
swordandpen
says ...
The McCain campaign has been nothing but playing the victim card while demonizing Obama. This story sounds like something they could easily use for that tactic, which most likely makes it untrue.
As televisiontears says above, I'm hoping the debates finally force the candidates to talk about issues. Because with only a few weeks to go, this other crap is getting tiresome and reduces the election of a leader down to the level of voting on a reality show.
Posted by swordandpen
at September 23, 2008 12:39 PM
comment #16
snackyx
says ...
I'm no McCain fan, but this doesn't pass the smell test. Let's see if any of the other people (the couple from Nebraska?) show up to vouch for any of this.
Posted by snackyx
at September 23, 2008 12:50 PM
comment #17
Chapman Carruthers
says ...
I absolutely believe this story.
Posted by Chapman Carruthers
at September 23, 2008 12:56 PM
comment #18
sardine
says ...
I believe, i believe, I believe!
Posted by sardine
at September 23, 2008 1:01 PM
comment #19
televisiontears
says ...
I guess, in a strange way, Chapman's got the right idea. It doesn't matter if it's true, it matters if people believe it. This woman doesn't need to prove anything. She just needs to plant the seed, and her work is done.
Posted by televisiontears
at September 23, 2008 1:02 PM
comment #20
BurmaShave
says ...
That thing reads like an erotic story. Bullshit.
Posted by BurmaShave
at September 23, 2008 1:31 PM
comment #21
JapAdapters
says ...
I was all about Obama until reading this. I want my President to be someone I can have a few pops with and talk frankly about fat broads, and retards (I love those goofy bastards).
Posted by JapAdapters
at September 23, 2008 1:38 PM
comment #22
hcat
says ...
The link no longer works and Blue Oregon seems to have taken it down. Can anyone fill the rest of us in?
Posted by hcat
at September 23, 2008 2:18 PM
comment #23
Richardson
says ...
hcat - somebody who vacationed in the same resort as McCain in 1998 tells stories about what he's like. He's arrogant, reading Faulkner at the table because he thinks all the vacationers want to hear him reading Faulker; he's sexist and oddly anti-white, saying that Indo-Chine women have the best figures in the world and white American women are too fat (specifically saying this of the women at the table; also notable, one person responding claims McCain said the same of her to her husband in 2000); and somebody asked him about his black baby, and he refers to it as "that thing" that his wife got without telling him, and how weird he looks in the supermarket pushing "that black thing" around.
That's it, more or less. (I should point out, I tried to factually summarize the accusation, but I don't believe the accusation to be factual.)
Posted by Richardson
at September 23, 2008 2:34 PM
comment #24
pm123
says ...
Uh, RIchardson, you kind of conveniently left out the only real important allegation in the piece, which is where McCain said we should annihilate various countries in the Middle East - Iraq and Iran, I think were the ones mentioned - with nuclear weapons. And that we should have annihilated Japan with nuclear weapons during WWII. Kind of an important thing to leave out...
Posted by pm123
at September 23, 2008 4:07 PM
comment #25
Richardson
says ...
I knew I forgot something, but the part about the "black thing" was the part Jeff was referring to in his post.
But, yeah, the John McCain described in that link said in 1998 that we should bomb Iraq at that time [not "should have"], "just to show them".
Posted by Richardson
at September 24, 2008 10:49 AM
comment #26
hcat
says ...
Bomb Iraq or Nuke Iraq, because all through the Clinton administration we were routinely bombing Iraq to enforce the no fly zone and the UN weapons sanctions. But escalating to nukes to simply to make an impression, that is frightening coming from my barber, but if that type of attitude is shared by the potential leader of the free world, damn.
Posted by hcat
at September 24, 2008 11:40 AM
comment #27
Nancyboy
says ...
Did anyone call the phone number or visit the address noted by George Prager on 9/23 at 12:10 above? If so, what'd you learn?
Posted by Nancyboy
at September 25, 2008 11:50 AM
comment #28
dd
says ...
He's arrogant, reading Faulkner at the table because he thinks all the vacationers want to hear him reading Faulker; he's sexist and oddly anti-white, saying that Indo-Chine women have the best figures in the world and white American women are too fat (specifically saying this of the women at the table; also notable, one person responding claims McCain said the same of her to her husband in 2000); and somebody asked him about his black baby, and he refers to it as "that thing" that his wife got without telling him, and how weird he looks in the supermarket pushing "that black thing" around
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