Especially the Republicans. Seems like if their mouth is moving they are lying. They lie about sex, they lie about contributions, they lie about sex, they lie about influence pedaling, they lie about sex, they lie about their positions on key issues, they lie about sex, they lie about their relationships and did I mention they lie about sex? I have not doubt that being in a position of prominence and power is an aphrodisiac for a lot of impressionable young people and therefore the availability of willing partners is abundant and who is going to come out and admit they cheated on their spouse. One can almost pardon lying about sex but when it comes to the amount of corruption going on and the amount of deceit involved it is almost beyond comprehension. I am absolutely astounded that one of the Keating Five is actually going to be a nominee for the office of POTUS.

I personally don't care if McCain had sex with Vicki Iseman or Larry Craig or even Bill Richardson's horse Sundance, but the known fact that he was one of the Keating Five and that he lied about why he wrote those letters to the FCC says more about McCain's character and honor than anything else in his background.

McCain himself has admitted he broke under torture and extreme pain when he was a POW but even those that were imprisoned with him do not fault him for it. He even tried to kill himself before he finally broke and who among us can swear that we would do better? On the other hand, his experiences as a POW are a strong reason why he should never be president. I wrote the following post on the original Democrats.com website several years ago when McCain was being touted as a great presidential candidate:

McCain will survive
By cloudancer
Long ago in a land far away we fought a stupid war and many or our brothers were captured. There were those that had as part of their duties the honor of going after those brothers in unacknowledged rescue excursions across the DMZ. There was one common denominator among the rescued that had been captives for any length of time......they knew how to survive.
John McCain exhibits all the characteristics of those brothers. He knows how to give a lot to get a little. He knows how to push to that point just before he has pushed to far. He knows how to give up what he considers expendable to save himself. He knows when to bow to authority. And he knows how to make people think he is agreeing when he is thinking just the opposite.
John McCain is a survivor and that is a good thing. Good if you are a POW. Good if you are trying to survive or keep your men alive. Not so good if you are representing millions of people that depend on you to stand strong and be resilient. Not so good if you are the president of the United States and have to make hard decisions about the welfare of our nation and the future of our children.
Survival instincts are not the basis for a good leader; they are the instincts of a good soldier (or in Bush’s case, a good evader). Recently I have seen several posts and articles touting John McCain as a bipartisan Republican that could help mend the rift between the parties. I think this is a ruse. I think he is playing the same old game that got him though the horror of being a POW. I think he is not what he appears.
The conditioning that got John though those years of internment is exactly the conditions that should prevent him from ever being President. Just like Pavlov’s Dogs, McCain’s first reaction will always be the reflex action of self preservation and that is not what makes a good President.

As a Viet Nam Veteran myself, I can only praise those that suffered at the hands of the North Vietnamese as Prisoners. But I cannot call them heroes any more than every other veteran that served in that war and other wars before and after. However, being a veteran does not make anyone an honest person nor does it automatically qualify them for public office.