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The NY Times has another odd investigative piece out on John McCain, and this too appears to be all smoke and no fire. The nearly 3,000-word article centers around McCain's relationship with wealthy Arizona real estate developer Donald Diamond. It says that on two occasions, McCain helped Diamond--a large donor--swap land with the federal government by sponsoring or co-sponsoring legislation authorizing the Department of Interior to acquire land to expand a national park, and on another occasion, McCain wrote a letter of reference for Diamond that aided his purchase of a closing military base in California. The point that keeps getting made in the story is that post-Keating 5, McCain has made a name for himself trying to get money out of politics, and to avoid appearances of using his office improperly. But there's no allegation of actual wrongdoing or corruption here, and the Times even notes that on other occasions McCain publicly criticized Diamond, and "has occasionally rebuffed Mr. Diamond's entreaties as inappropriate..." Looks like strike two for the Times.

topics:
John McCain, Military