Time Wounds All Heels-- Meet McCain's Transition Team

I have to admit that I never watched the Jerry Springer Show or any reality TV; it's just not my thing. And I would be perfectly happy never tuning into Livin' Palin and her dysfunctional brood again. In fact, for me, the entire lame and shameful Palin episode is only about one thing: McCain's horrendous judgment and his ability to sacrifice dignity and integrity-- not to mention national security-- to give himself a shot of grabbing the White House. And his shocking cynicism.

Today, he announced another unbelievable choice, not for as visible a position as "heartbeat from the presidency" but the guy he picked... OMG! The job: a honcho on a transition team that, hopefully, will never do any transitioning. The man: another in a long list of the most corrupt and despicable lobbyists in the country-- and that isn't even the worst of this guy! William E. Timmons Sr. has worked for every Republican president since his mentor Richard Nixon. He's the lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute, the American Medical Association, Freddie Mac, and Visa.

By tapping Timmons, McCain has turned to one of Washington's steadiest and most senior inside players to guide him in the event of a victory — but also to someone who represents the antithesis of the kind of outside-of-Washington change he has recently been promising. One Republican familiar with the process said the decision to involve Timmons could become a political liability for the campaign's reformist image, especially in the wake of the controversies over the lobbying backgrounds of other McCain staffers, including campaign manager Rick Davis. "It's one more blind spot for Rick Davis and John McCain," the person said.

Before going to work on destroying the regulatory system protecting consumers from predatory mortgage lenders and for Big Oil, Timmons had made a name for himself leading the lobbying effort in Congress to keep Nixon from being impeached. He was also the White House contact for right wing efforts to get John Lennon deported in advance of the 1972 elections!