Friday, June 20, 2008

McCain Campaign Manager Aided Corrupt Pro-Russian Party In Ukraine

The anti-lobbyist candidate John McCain has yet another lobbyist problem ensnaring his campaign. McCain, along with democracy-loving Americans everywhere, cheered Viktor Yushchenko as he and thousands of Ukrainians threw off the yoke of the corrupt Russian elements left in the country less than four years ago. Head honcho lobbyist Rick Davis was found to have lent his services to the pro-Russian "Party of Regions" faction in the Ukraine. With Davis' help, the Party of Regions surged back only two years later. So how does John McCain explain this?

From The Huffington Post:

How much does John McCain know about his campaign manager's lobbying history and potential current business interests inside Ukraine -- and when did he know it?

The stakes of the answer to that question are increasing, due both to the continuing controversy over the role of lobbyists in McCain's second presidential run, as well as the press inquiry into the connections between McCain campaign manager Rick Davis and the global business and political interests in Ukraine, a country represented by the lobbying firm that bears his name -- Davis-Manafort.[...]

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer told The Huffington Post that, in between the Party of Regions' 2004 loss and its 2006 victory, there was "an influx of the Davis-Manafort team." Pifer was not on the ground in Ukraine for the 2006 polls, but he recounted that "there was more of an American air" to the Ukrainians working with Davis-Manafort, and that they presented a more refined, media-savvy image.

Pifer later witnessed a December 2006 talk given in Washington, D.C. by the new Ukranian prime minister, who brought Davis's lobbying partner Paul Manafort along in tow as part of his entourage. Speaking to the Huffington Post about that event, Pifer said he noticed with interest that the new prime minister's presentation was "polished and confident...and was tuned to have resonance with Americans."


The story of their resurgence reeks to high hell of sliminess and slick political bullshit. How McCain can avoid this tremendous amount of slime from smearing his campaign is unimaginable. McCain employs Davis exactly because he can make old, tired and corrupt politicians sound new and refined (except for when in front of a green screen). Davis has certainly had his work cut out for him with McCain, but now McCain needs to make him go away, unless he wants this story to stick to his own campaign.