New allegations of sexual trysts with attractive DC lobbyist Vicki Iseman, in pursuit of economic relationships with the powerful Senator on Capitol Hill, have surfaced.

Jim Rutenberg, Marilyn Thompson, David Kirkpatrick and Stephen Labaton of The New York Times broke the titillating story yesterday. An attractive female lobbyist “…had been turning up with [McCain] at fund-raisers, in his offices and aboard a client’s corporate jet. Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself,” they reported.

Allegations of sexual relations in Washington between Presidents (and candidates) are not new. From the news that President Dwight Eisenhower had an affair with his aid and President John Kennedy slept with Marilyn Monroe, to President Bill Clinton’s “I did not have [sex]…with [Monica Lewinski;]” the nation is not shocked. Presidential Candidate Gary Hart was all but assured of winning until the media caught him with model Donna Rice on board the yacht Monkey Business and now candidate John McCain is in a similar hot seat.

The public seems to forgive, if not forget rapidly. Public opinion in 1998 felt the Republicans in congress went too far with the attempted impeachment of Clinton. In his book The Gallup Poll, Public Opinion 1998, George Gallup says: “61% of the sample opposed impeachment… [and] 47% felt [the Republicans] were out to get Clinton…” with only 41% feeling his actions were “an impeachable offense.” However, John McCain may have larger problems.

McCain’s Problems

• Influence Pedaling - Kate Sommersby, Marilyn, Donna and Monica may have been partners with their men and while morally questionable, they were lovers and not influential women that affected national issues. McCain’s Vicki Iseman, on the other hand, is a powerful lobbyist that has already allowed John’s pillow talk to gain her influence in his congressional committee. Keith Olberman on MSNBC’s Countdown remarked: McCain “lobbied in front of his own Senate Committee with someone he had some personal relationship with.” The Times article said: “…Mr. McCain had written letters to government regulators on behalf of the lobbyist’s clients…some aides feared for a time that attention would fall on her involvement.”

• 2008 General Election - The Democratic frontrunner, Barack Obama, has focused his campaign around the theme of problems in Washington DC. Obama said in VA at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on Feb 9th: “It's a choice between debating John McCain about lobbying reform with a nominee who's taken more money from lobbyists than [he] has, or doing it with a campaign that hasn't taken a dime of their money because we've been funded by you - the American people.” Obama said: “I've made it clear that lobbyists will not control an Obama administration…,” reported Deepak Chopra in the February 6th issue of the Huffington Post. Obama continued: “In this administration [Bush], corporate lobbyists have been allowed access that belongs to the American people….”

• President Bush - Obama is linking John McCain to unpopular President, George Bush. In a speech on Feb 9th Obama talked about McCain: “But I think he has rushed to embrace the worst aspects of the Bush legacy and so the wheels came off the Straight Talk Express….” And on Tuesday, in Houston, Obama reiterated part of his Virginia speech. “It's also time to bring the cost of living down for working families…we owe it to them to end the Bush-McCain tax cuts….”

• Judgment – McCain is concentrating on experience and feels Obama is vulnerable there. However, Obama may now call into question McCain’s judgment with his relationship. Not necessarily concentrating on the sexual act but as the Times report stated: “…even the appearance of a close bond with a lobbyist…threatened his political identity.” Olberman reported that senate aids said “Mr. McCain acknowledged behaving inappropriately and pledged to keep his distance from Ms Iseman.” Intervention by his own staffers to “to protect the candidate from himself” does not bode well.

• Keating Five – McCain’s judgment nearly destroyed his career. The Times said: “…an official favor for a friend…nearly ended Mr. McCain’s political career…. [later] he reinvented himself as the scourge of special interests.” Now that “reinvention” may come under attack.