IsTHIS the BIG STORY that lonestarnot was hyping yesterday?

[FourScore]

If it is, I am sorely disappointed.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Whistleblower_breaks_15year_silence_to_allege_0911.html

[WheelWalker]

1. If that's it, I, too, am underwhelmed. n/t

[DemzRock]

2. Looks like it. And it's not immediately huge, but it's big enough to...

fester and rot. If it gets into the MSM off and on over the next few weeks, it could really drag him down. Anything bigger and McCain might have to drop out which could actually be bad. So this aint' bad. Especially when combined with Phailin's ethics problems.

Just MHO.

[nc4bo]

7. Like a silent fart - lowkeyed, unnoticeable @ first but can stink up a room. nt

[FourScore]

48. LOL. That's funny.

[Boz]

10. This guy hasn't been silent for 15 years.The guy doing the reporting has a history of hating Obama

John McCain certainly used his political connections to begin a campaign of intimidation against Gosinski, because at the time - this was after the Keating 5 scandal - another major scandal would have derailed his career.

That sentence is the only difference in the story since it first broke in 1995.

Its the same story as when it was reported in 1996 when McCain was on the short list for R VP

Its the same story as when it was reported in 1998 when McCain was up for re election.

Its the same story as when it was reported in 2000 when McCain was running for President the first time.

Its the same story as when it was reported in 2004 when McCain was on the short list for D VP and re election

and its the same story now,those are the FACTS, not opinions.

The only opinion is the guy that bought this story from Goslinski this time typed the OPINION listed in the line above that McCain must have used his power to cover this up or he wouldn't have a career. All that opinion goes out the window with the facts that this has been public knowledge and in print and TV ad nauseum for over a decade and a half, hell its even on Cindy McCains wikipedia entry.

Hell of a cover up there.

Oh and the guy writing that sentence, Matt Stoller, Heres a few of his other hits

OBAMA IS DONE
http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1307

and

"here's a shout-out to the crappy Obama advisor circle, David Axelrod, David Plouffe, Jim Margolis, Devorah Adler, and the whole gang out there. You suck!"
http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1475

So yeah, just my opinion to not put my hope on a 15 year old dead story by a guy who rips up Obama but on the hopes and work of Obama himself.

[hisownpetard]

62. Yeah, what a dud. I woke up today like it was Christmas morning...

and this is the big news?

Why am I so gullible?

[Growler]

77. We ALL got taken in by the hype yesterday

people pushing this this mystery yesterday need better filters, IMO.

[FourScore]

11. This has no legs. It's all old news.

So what if a guy kept a friggin diary on it?

[Boz]

17. The diary has been released before

Many details have been released from his "journal" before and it was in the public record of his wrongful termination suit which was dismissed and he lost in 1995.

None of this is new, its just a NEWER audience.

In fact he use the same line 16 years ago as used on the guys he sold the story to this time only this time its cancer that gave him the courage.

From 1994:
Until now, Gosinski has not spoken on the record to the press. It has taken months of cajoling, Cindy McCain's public admission and the release of documents relating to the extortion investigation to convince him to open up.

By the way youll note the UNREALEASED jounals seem to be in this article too

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1994-09-08/news/opiate-for-the-mrs/2

[sammytko]

71. Even I've heard this story before...nt

[NC_Nurse]

3. Damn, I was hoping for meth and underaged male hookers!

:P

A girl can dream, can't she?

[babylonsister]

4. From your link...

Whistleblower breaks 15-year silence to allege McCain hid wife's drug abuse
Nick Juliano
Published: Thursday September 11, 2008


Cindy McCain's addiction to prescription painkillers emerged into public view 14 years ago with a well-orchestrated PR campaign designed to preserve her husband's political future.

Aside from a lengthy contemporary investigation from Phoenix's alternative weekly and occasional mentions since then, the addiction back-story -- including ample questions about what John McCain knew, when he knew it and questions over whether he was complicit in the cover-up -- has gone largely untold. Until now.

Tom Gosinski, a former employee of the medical-aid charity Cindy McCain used as personal supplier of Percocet and Vicodin, is speaking out publicly for the first time.

On Wednesday, Gosinski sat down with RAW STORY and other outlets to tell his story and distribute copies of his personal journal from his time with the American Voluntary Medical Team in the last half of 1992, where he voiced ever more acute concerns and frustrations over McCain's drug use and its impact on her mood and job performance.

"My journal wasn't to trash Cindy or anything," he says. "My journal was kept b/c I came in contact w/ so many people. It was a way of keeping an ongoing biography of all the people I met, so I could refer back to it."

He says he can't buy the official McCain camp line that Cindy's drug abuse was kept from her husband, he saw and heard too much for any of their stories to make sense -- like the time Cindy was allegedly taken to the hospital after an overdose and John rushed in to berate the doctors and nurses there before moving Cindy to their secluded Sedona ranch. Then there were the Hensley family interventions and the fact that Cindy's drug abuse came to be something of an open secret among employees of the charity.

more...

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Whistleblower_breaks_15year_silence_to_allege_0911.html

[shaniqua6392]

5. Yawn.

This is not going to be a big deal.

[leftofcool]

6. That would be the one, which is really stupid since everyone knows about it

[liberalpress]

15. Not to mention it's 15 years old

This story will go absolutely nowhere. In fact most og MSM probably won't even publish it. It works if happpened an hour ago, but 15 years? Sheesh!

[leftofcool]

20. Yep.

[Mike Daniels]

41. This is the equivalent of Bush's DUI

Something that happened so long ago to where bringing it up now just smacks of desperation.

[Lerkfish]

8. I would say in fairness to lonestarnot, who only said they were giddy waiting for it

that mostly OTHER people hyped it up, lonestarnot only said it had to do with mcsame and prescription drugs.

it was other people that projected onto that that it would be game changing, if I recall correctly.

so, at least as far was what lonestarnot said it was about, they were absolutely accurate.

so, please, stop castigating another DUer for telling the TRUTH.

[bigscott]

22. no one is castigating

but when lonestar puts up a post with 50+ smiley faces and bouncing emoticons etc etc it does get the group going. This seems to be much ado about nothing - IF this is the story she was referring to

peace

[FourScore]

26. Ditto.

I got waaayyy too little sleep last night cause I kept checking WaPo to see if the big news had posted yet.

This would be a let down.

[Lerkfish]

29. really? calling someone an "attention whore" is not castigating?

(not you, but someone else in this thread)

my point is, this group punishment paradigm DISCOURAGES people from informing us of things coming up down the pike. Was lonestarnot inaccurate? they said mcsame and prescription drugs. Wasn't that accurate?

why discourage inside information, even if its not as devastating as hoped?

I don't get this place, sometimes.

[FourScore]

39. That statement was definitely over the line.

And since I started this thread, I want to say that I DO NOT condone that sort of personal attack,and assume it will get deleted.

Still, I am disappointed if this is the article she meant.

[TornadoTN]

40. I just think the story was oversold - maybe Lonestarnots source was blowing smoke

I don't know what the case was, but I can see how people might be a little upset about it. Like it has been said elsewhere in this thread, Lonestarnot is a valuable contributor to DU and I think that might have helped set the stage for this to become the silly little sideshow that it has become. People are on edge over this election and rightfully so, any kind of information put out there in there manner it was is going to get blown out of proportion - true or not.

I think we should all use discretion and not oversell something when nothing has been validated yet - just like the rest of us should be cautious when believing it.

[FourScore]

44. Exactly.

We'll just call it a Jason Leopold moment.

[Growler]

79. ditto

it is disingenuous to say that a particular person did NOT hype this story yesterday....

:(

[hisownpetard]

65. She emphasized that it was NOT about Cindy Mcain but wholly about McCain himself and drugs.

Spot on?

Not so much.

[flpoljunkie]

9. Folks will see this as McCain protecting his wife. Let's leave families out of it, as Obama said.

[WinkyDink]

19. Cindy McCain is fair game. I won't forget "Whitewater".

[Rosa Luxemburg]

55. The MSM went after Hillary so yes Cindy is fair game

[katandmoon]

56. She's far game but the press's double standard will never acknowledge that

[FlaDem83]

12. I don't think that

story is the big one. According to lonestarnot, lawyers were central to whatever it is coming out, and according to another poster who has contacts at newspapers, including the Washington Post (which was also identified by lonestarnot as the publication to watch) it has to do with a word starting with A (as in Alzheimer's).

[Boz]

37. So the message that said the story was the one about Cindy McCain

by lonestarnot.

Stating:THIS IS THE MOTHERFUCKING LOAD! WHAT ARE THEY DOING?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3971281&mesg_id=3971421

Lead you to believe it was about Alzheimerrs(which was a guess).

Its the same dead story for the last 15 years about Cindy McCain and it has been printed and reported EVERY election cycle John McCain has been in since 1996.

[uppityperson]

76. The story is not about Cindy's drug use, but about McCain's tampering with DEA

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8147

Did McCain Tamper with the Drug Enforcement Agency to Protect His Career?

There are lots of unanswered questions, but the basic contours of the story are clear. John McCain used his position as a Senator to help his wife abuse illegal drugs and avoid being searched by customs, and somehow his wife managed to avoid any charges by the DEA or the state (which has mandatory minimums in cases like this) on drug charges despite ample evidence. Did the DEA or the state not file charges against her because of political pressure? Did they keep this on the Federal level to avoid mandatory minimums for Cindy McCain because of political pressure from McCain? Did John McCain and/or his Senate staff tamper with a criminal investigation of his wife and her conspiracy to fraudulently obtain illegal drugs?

Whether illegal or not, and an investigation by Congress should happen, this is clearly a massive and overreaching case of both corruption on a personal sordid level and an abuse of power. And you might be seeing Gosinski on mainstream media soon.

We need an investigation into what happened here. What did McCain know about the investigation of his wife and did he use his power as a Senator to help her abuse drugs or avoid prosecution? When he was one of a hundred Senators, it was of minor importance. And now? Well it would be nice to know if the next President is engaged in behavior more characteristic of an influence peddling mob boss than an upright politician.

[TornadoTN]

13. Wow - that was what we got all worked up about?

Another shining moment in our history of jumping to conclusions and attaching ourselves to the slightest bit of misinformation. Another "24 Business Hours" moment.

I'm not excluding myself either - I got just as worked up as many did about this. But as the day kept unfolding it was clear that this was much-ado about nothing.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lerkfish]

24. and this is how DU reward other DUers who try to let people know something is coming

calling them "attention whores".

nice.

[TornadoTN]

28. You have to admit that the delivery got the group whipped into a frenzy

Plus, this story was supposed to be on GOOD MORNING AMERICAN and WASHINGTON POST, according to Lonestarnot.

This whole debacle is just silly - I think there's plenty of blame to go around. From the person who started it (really, is this a story thats going to get us any traction? Of course not) and all of us who jumped to conclusions.

[Lerkfish]

34. I admit I was cautiousnly hopeful, but I see no reason to attack someone

if the MSM doesn't run with a story like they would if it were a democrat.

[Nine]

46. Why did she need to let us know it was coming?

Were we supposed to make some sort of preparations? Was she afraid a big election-changing story would be missed by DUers? I don't know anything about this person but I can't see any motivation for this other than making herself look important. If she had some juicy info she was so excited about that she was ready to burst, she could have just sent private messages to a few friends.

I've been alerting on these "where's the story" threads because it's obvious the mods want them locked, but I'm tired of all the defending this person gets just because she's been on here a long time. I haven't been on here long at all and it doesn't make me any less of a Dem or her any more of one. If it were a relative newbie like me doing this, people wouldn't be so tolerant.

[TornadoTN]

49. I agree. I think that some restraint and research would have been in order

Maybe her source got her all bent out of shape? I don't want to condemn, but this whole sad affair is becoming a routine around here.

[Lerkfish]

51. you'd have to ask her. However, I still contend that castigating her for being CORRECT

is pointless.

Just because her information is not game-changing does not change the fact that she was correct.

[Nine]

59. The story doesn't even matter.

Even if it *were* game-changing, I still think it was unnecessary to hype it like that. We wouldn't have missed a game-changing story because pretty much by definition it's a story that everyone would be talking. The point is not whether she had good information or bad information, it's what she did with it and why. What she did was create an unnecessary frenzy, and why - I can only think it's because her ego got the best of her. What other reason could there be?

[Lerkfish]

67. I can think of several other reasons. You just choose not to

because you prefer to villify her.

we're all better than this.

[Nine]

72. Villify her? I don't even know her.

She may be a good person and a good Dem, but what she did on DU was not a good thing. She probably wasn't trying to pull a hoax, she probably did think it was a big story. But a story is only big if it gets some traction. If DU has any influence at all, she may have inadvertently sabotaged the story on here by giving it such a big buildup so that people are just yawning about it now. And I do think multiple threads with all-caps titles is building it up. What good reason was there for doing that? I still think she must have just got a little full of herself for a bit. I'm only assuming it's not something more malicious because so many people are vouching for her.

[geek tragedy]

68. She hyped a nothing story to ridiculous extremes.

The problem wasn't talking about it. It was misleading us into thinking it was a really big deal.

[Growler]

80. Exactly! We were at Defcon 1 most of the day yesterday!

For this?!?

:shrug:

[FourScore]

36. That's not fair. lonestarnot is still a valuable contrributor to DU.

Plese delete that nasty post.

If I were her, I just wouldn't have gotten so excited about this IF this is the story she was talking about.

[tekisui]

16. Abuse of Power, Obstruction of Justice to hide Drug Addiction, A Near Overdose?!?!

And, drugging the kids?!?

This has a lot of scandal in it, and easy to understand.

[TornadoTN]

21. "But it happened so long ago - we are born again!"

Yeah, this is a scandal and probably should be seeing more exposure. Problem is, it happened so long ago and this kind of scandal can backfire since the religious whackos will support McCain Palin anyway and might even make McCain more palatable to independents.

I hate to say it, but this is a non-starter.

[FourScore]

23. It's all old news. "Been there,done that" stuff. n/t

[tekisui]

38. To you. Middle-American Pays-No-Attention hasn't heard it yet.

ANd, there is no reason to not bring it up again and again, until people say drug addled Cindy, with every mention.

[yellowdogintexas]

66. AHA! also old news doesn't keep the other side from harping on it over and over

again, re cycling it in new clothes, when it is about a Democrat. (example: the thing about the driver who hit Sen Biden's first wife)

[uppityperson]

75. Did McCain Tamper with the Drug Enforcement Agency to Protect His Career?

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8147

Did McCain Tamper with the Drug Enforcement Agency to Protect His Career?

There are lots of unanswered questions, but the basic contours of the story are clear. John McCain used his position as a Senator to help his wife abuse illegal drugs and avoid being searched by customs, and somehow his wife managed to avoid any charges by the DEA or the state (which has mandatory minimums in cases like this) on drug charges despite ample evidence. Did the DEA or the state not file charges against her because of political pressure? Did they keep this on the Federal level to avoid mandatory minimums for Cindy McCain because of political pressure from McCain? Did John McCain and/or his Senate staff tamper with a criminal investigation of his wife and her conspiracy to fraudulently obtain illegal drugs?

Whether illegal or not, and an investigation by Congress should happen, this is clearly a massive and overreaching case of both corruption on a personal sordid level and an abuse of power. And you might be seeing Gosinski on mainstream media soon.

We need an investigation into what happened here. What did McCain know about the investigation of his wife and did he use his power as a Senator to help her abuse drugs or avoid prosecution? When he was one of a hundred Senators, it was of minor importance. And now? Well it would be nice to know if the next President is engaged in behavior more characteristic of an influence peddling mob boss than an upright politician.

[mmonk]

18. If it hit the mainstream press, it would be a big story.

My wife always asks me why the press never talks about Cindy's past drug situation or the fact of McCain leaving his first wife for her after his first wife was disfigured. We all know if he were a Democrat, it would be non stop on such issues.

[nc4bo]

25. Let the Corpwhores run with it - Obama doesn't have to do jackcrap about it.

Dems aren't releasing anything - Corpwhores are. If the story dies - so be it. But if it has any kind of legs at all - Obama Team can pick and choose what they want (or don't want) to address.

No Dems are connected to this, right?

[mmonk]

33. Dems aren't connected as far as I know.

[bigscott]

27. her drug abuse is irrelevant

him dumping his first wife is not irrelevant. But who cares when Obama is calling pailin a pig or a C*&% ? :sarcasm:

[TornadoTN]

35. I agree - if we dont start hitting back and playing the game, we are going to let this one get away

I know the value of "staying above the fray", but we've past that point since the polls and indicators are showing that the low-ball dirty politics played by McCain is swaying voters.

We need to fight back. Get the information out there about McCain's potty mouth towards his wife. Get the information out about how McCain left his first wife and for what reasons he did so. McCain is framing himself as a "friend to women" and people are buying it - get the information out there about his voting record.

It's just frustrating to see this thing slipping away from us when the Republicans chose the weakest candidate they could have chosen to run against us. Were my expectations too high?

[NewJeffCT]

32. If McCain was a Democrat, his political career would have been over

After all, that is what the media said regarding John Edwards - his career was over after he had an affair. Rudy and McCain had affairs and they seem to be still pretty popular among Republics.

[Boz]

42. The MSM reported on then Governor Bush and his Families dealings with Bin Ladens

Where did that get us in 2004

[bullwinkle428]

30. Quite honestly, wasn't the basic gist of this story known years ago?

That Johnny Mac used his power as a legislator to cover up Cindy's theft of the drugs and subsequent firing of the guy that ran the charity?

[katandmoon]

54. Yes, it's an old, old story. The MSM didn't touch it before and they won't touch it now.

[Barack_America]

31. Rawstory's version is a single source story.

I would hope that if the WaPo were to print it, they would have at least one other source.

[Boz]

47. There is no other source for this story, its been one guy for 15 years who only opened his mouth

When the McCains didn't pay him 250 000, he even lost the wrongful termination suit that he filed after he went public, 2 years after the fact.

[Barack_America]

64. I beg to differ. There are several other individuals (sources) listed in that article alone.

It's not only one guy who helped cover this up.

[Freddie Stubbs]

43. The history of DU has many over-hyped stories than were overhyped or flat-out false:

Kerry Preparing Grounds to Unconcede:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=196204&mesg_id=196204

Karl Rove Indicted on Charges of Perjury, Lying to Investigators

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2282488

[Kingofalldems]

52. Don't like our history?

You can always leave.

[Freddie Stubbs]

53. I don't like people being led along, having their hopes built up, and then becoming crushed

emotionally for no good reason. Perhaps some people get a perverse pleasure in doing so, but I do not.

[bvar22]

70. Simple solution ....

Sorry about your problem, Freddie, but if you don't like:

1) being "led along"

2) having your hopes "built up"

and

3) becoming emotionally crushed

THEN

1)Don't follow

2)Don't allow your hopes to be "built up" without concrete support

and

3) If you are "emotionally crushed" by anything posted on an anonymous Bulletin Board, seek help.

[Freddie Stubbs]

74. I'm a little too jaded to have those things happen to me, but

I still don't like to see them happen to other people.

[bvar22]

73. Simple solution ....

Sorry about your problem, Freddie, but if you don't like:

1) being "led along"

2) having your hopes "built up"

and

3) becoming emotionally crushed

THEN

1)Don't follow

2)Don't allow your hopes to be "built up" without concrete support

and

3) If you are "emotionally crushed" by anything posted on an anonymous Bulletin Board, seek help.

[blm]

45. I'm not - the cover up is a crucial point since McCain pretended he didn't know about it.

at the same time he wants voters to believe he is for transparent government.

[nc4bo]

57. He behaved dishonorably. I swear we should insert that word whenever and where ever possible. nt

[geek tragedy]

50. Complete nothing of a story.

Husband doesn't want his wife's drug addiction published in papers. Wow.

[mzmolly]

58. I think the issue is that he appeared more concerned with his political career

than getting his wife the proper help? At least that's my take? :shrug:

[Liberal Dose]

60. It's not a big story. It's a big freakin scandal.

After he was fired from AVMT, Gosinski, a lifelong Republican, says he was "black balled" from future political jobs. Furthermore, McCain and his Keating Five lawyer John Dowd orchestrated an extortion investigation aimed at squashing a wrongful termination lawsuit Gosinski had filed.

"I think everybody knows that John McCain has a volatile ... temper," Gosinski said Wednesday. "And I don't know how they can mess with my life. They certainly tried to mess with it 15 years ago by making me unemployable and ruining my opportunity for a job in Republican politics in Arizona."

By the time the wrongful termination suit was filed and the investigation launched, Gosinski already had been meeting for nearly a year with the Drug Enforcement Agency to detail Cindy McCain's use of the charity as her own personal pain-killer depot. Essentially, Gosinski could not have been blackmailing the rich, powerful and politically connected McCain family because he already had told the authorities what he knew.

[Lex]

61. If it were Obama abusing power & covering up drug use, it'd be a huge story.

But I always forget--IOIARDI.

[helderheid]

63. Pickles killed her ex - this is NADA.

[Wapsie B]

69. The story I'm interesting in is the Alzheimer's one.

Speculation about McCain having Alzheimer's or some kind of Dementia is a lot bigger than Cindy taking some pills.

[shaniqua6392]

78. That is what I was hoping for.

Oh well.