Doc this has nothing to do with hate on my part.This clown sit in a hate church for 20 yrs and only leave because he was force to.you are who hang out with.if Mccain had the mob support i would be the same way with him.Why in the hell has Obama got the i can do what i want thing and cant get attack..............ck
The New York Times has an interesting article on legendary New York Mob boss Joe Bonanno and John McCain from January 18,1995:
He is retired now -- no more of the murderous gangland mayhem the Federal Government says he used to mastermind. He is, his son says, "somewhat frail." But not too frail to put on a trimly tailored tuxedo and celebrate with 300 friends and relatives: Joseph Bonanno is 90 years old today.
Actually, Mr. Bonanno had his revelry a few days early. On Saturday, Mr. Bonanno's three children rented a ballroom in Tucson, Ariz., 2,070 miles from the scenes of what the Government says were major crimes like attempted murder, gambling and narcotics trafficking.
Over salad and filet mignon, Mr. Bonanno's children and grandchildren gave testimonials to the man who prosecutors say parlayed a small bootlegging operation into one of New York City's major crime families. Then there was cake, sliced from a confectionery-scale Leaning Tower of Pisa. (The real thing was engineered by a Bonanno.)
"It was a private family-and-friends party," said one of Mr. Bonanno's sons, Salvatore, who is 62 and is known as Bill. "At least, when you compare that to my wedding, which had 3,000 people, I thought it was a small affair."
Sitting on folding chairs around the tables in the ballroom were people from walks of life far removed from those in which Mr. Bonanno is said to have made his name. There were priests and biographers, an actor who had appeared in the film "The Godfather," even a college instructor.
"He's been a wonderful, intelligent, loving godfather to us all," the instructor, Russ Andaloro of Pima Community College, told The Arizona Daily Star.
Salvatore Bonanno said 150 invitations were mailed. As the R.S.V.P.'s made clear, almost no one said no. "We were running about a 97 percent acceptance rate," he said. "The mistake I made, instead of addressing it to Mr. and Mrs., I just put 'and family.' We had fours and threes and fives."
The Daily Star had a story and two photographs about the party on the front page of its Monday issue. Yesterday, it ran another story, also on the front page, saying that more than 100 readers had called to complain that the Monday coverage "glorified Bonanno."
Some callers, the article said, were upset to read that Gov. Fife Symington of Arizona and Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, had sent birthday greetings. (Governor Symington's press secretary said his message had been a machine-signed form letter, while the note from Senator McCain's office, his press secretary said, was written by a staff member declining an invitation for the Senator to attend).
It has been 30 years, according to law-enforcement authorities, since Mr. Bonanno was deposed as boss. To the C.E.O. of a Fortune 500 corporation, stepping aside at 59 might qualify as early retirement. But Mafia-watchers point out that many of Mr. Bonanno's supposed confederates have been retired by assassin's bullets when even younger.
Just because McCain didn't attend the birthday party doesn't mean he didn't send a message.As Edward Zehr reports:Actually, Mr. Bonanno had his revelry a few days early. On Saturday, Mr. Bonanno's three children rented a ballroom in Tucson, Ariz., 2,070 miles from the scenes of what the Government says were major crimes like attempted murder, gambling and narcotics trafficking.
Over salad and filet mignon, Mr. Bonanno's children and grandchildren gave testimonials to the man who prosecutors say parlayed a small bootlegging operation into one of New York City's major crime families. Then there was cake, sliced from a confectionery-scale Leaning Tower of Pisa. (The real thing was engineered by a Bonanno.)
"It was a private family-and-friends party," said one of Mr. Bonanno's sons, Salvatore, who is 62 and is known as Bill. "At least, when you compare that to my wedding, which had 3,000 people, I thought it was a small affair."
Sitting on folding chairs around the tables in the ballroom were people from walks of life far removed from those in which Mr. Bonanno is said to have made his name. There were priests and biographers, an actor who had appeared in the film "The Godfather," even a college instructor.
"He's been a wonderful, intelligent, loving godfather to us all," the instructor, Russ Andaloro of Pima Community College, told The Arizona Daily Star.
Salvatore Bonanno said 150 invitations were mailed. As the R.S.V.P.'s made clear, almost no one said no. "We were running about a 97 percent acceptance rate," he said. "The mistake I made, instead of addressing it to Mr. and Mrs., I just put 'and family.' We had fours and threes and fives."
The Daily Star had a story and two photographs about the party on the front page of its Monday issue. Yesterday, it ran another story, also on the front page, saying that more than 100 readers had called to complain that the Monday coverage "glorified Bonanno."
Some callers, the article said, were upset to read that Gov. Fife Symington of Arizona and Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, had sent birthday greetings. (Governor Symington's press secretary said his message had been a machine-signed form letter, while the note from Senator McCain's office, his press secretary said, was written by a staff member declining an invitation for the Senator to attend).
It has been 30 years, according to law-enforcement authorities, since Mr. Bonanno was deposed as boss. To the C.E.O. of a Fortune 500 corporation, stepping aside at 59 might qualify as early retirement. But Mafia-watchers point out that many of Mr. Bonanno's supposed confederates have been retired by assassin's bullets when even younger.
"About 300 guests turned out Saturday night to celebrate the 90th birthday of Joseph 'Joe Bananas' Bonanno, retired boss of New York's Bonanno crime family. He retired to Tucson in 1968. . . John McCain, R-Ariz., and Gov. Fife Symington sent their regards by telegram."
The maverick,the "straight talk express",you've got to laugh.John McCain and Joe Bonanno a founding member of "the commission".McCain was not much of a GREAT AMERICAN WAR HERO in the eyes of
Republicans in 2000:
"What Bush did to McCain in the 2000 S. C. primary"
<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="dclite" nowrap="nowrap">
</td> <td class="dclite" width="100%">
FACT SHEET:
Bush Waged Nasty Smear Campaign Against McCain in 2000
Bush Supporters Called McCain “The *** Candidate.” In South Carolina, Bush supporters circulated church fliers that labeled McCain “the *** candidate.” Columnist Frank Rich noted that the fliers were distributed “even as Bush subtly reinforced that message by indicating he wouldn’t hire openly gay people for his administration.” <washington post,="" 18="" 00;="" rich="" op-ed,="" austin="" american-statesman,="" 2="" 29="" 00="">
McCain Slurs Included Illegitimate Children, Homosexuality And A Drug-Addict Wife.
Among the rumors circulated against McCain in 2000 in South Carolina was that his adopted Bangladeshi daughter was actually black, that McCain was both gay and cheated on his wife, and that his wife Cindy was a drug addict.” <ivins column,="" the="" nation,="" 6="" 18="" 01="">
Bush Campaign Used Code Words to Question McCain’s Temper.
“A smear campaign of the ugliest sort is now coursing through the contest for the presidency in 2000. Using the code word "temper," a group of Senate Republicans, and at least some outriders of the George W. Bush campaign, are spreading the word that John McCain is unstable. The subtext, also suggested in this whispering campaign, is that he returned from 5 1/2 years as a POW in North Vietnam with a loose screw. And it is bruited about that he shouldn't be entrusted with nuclear weapons.” <drew op-ed,="" washington="" post,="" 11="" 19="" 99="">
Bush Supporters Questioned McCain’s Sanity.
“Some of George W. Bush's supporters have questioned Republican presidential candidate John McCain's fitness for the White House, suggesting that his five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam drove him insane at the time.” <lansing state="" journal,="" 11="" 23="" 99="">
Bush Supporters Spread Racist Rumors About McCain’s Daughter.
Bush supporters in South Carolina made race-baiting phone calls saying that McCain had a “black child.” The McCains’ daughter, Bridget, was adopted from Mother Teresa’s orphanage in Bangladesh. In August 2000, columnist Maureen Dowd wrote that the McCains “are still seething about Bush supporters in South Carolina spreading word of their dark-skinned adopted daughter.” <time, 6="" boston="" globe,="" 3="" 4="" 00;="" dowd="" column,="" new="" york="" times,="" 8="" 9="" 00="">
Rove Suggests Former POW McCain Committed Treason and Fathered Child With Black Prostitute.
In 2000, McCain operatives in SC accused Rove of spreading rumors against McCain, such as “suggestions that McCain had committed treason while a prisoner of war, and had fathered a child by a black prostitute,” according to the New Yorker. <new yorker,="" 5="" 12="" 03="">
After Rove Denied Role In McCain Whisper Campaign, Reporters Concluded He Was Behind It.
A December 1999 Dallas Morning News linked Rove to a series of campaign dirty tricks, including his College Republican efforts, allegedly starting a whisper campaign about Ann Richard being too gay-friendly, spreading stories about Jim Hightower’s involvement in a kickback scheme and leaking the educational history of Lena Guerrero. The article also outlined current dirty tricks and whisper campaigns against McCain in South Carolina, including that “McCain may be unstable as a result of being tortured while a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.” (DMN, 12/2/99) After the article was published, Rove blasted Slater in the Manchester, NH airport, “nose to nose” according to one witness, with Rove claiming Slater had “harmed his reputation,” Slater later noted. But according to one witness, “What was interesting then is that everyone on the campaign charter concluded that Rove was responsible for rumors about McCain.” <the nation,="" 3="" 5="" 01="">
Rove Was In Close Touch With McConnell, McCain-Feingold’s Chief Opponent.
Senior White House adviser Karl Rove was in close contact with Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) during McConnell’s effort to fight the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Bill in the U.S. Senate. According to Newsweek, though Rove and Bush have publicly kept their distance from McConnell on the issue, “sources tell Newsweek that Rove is, in fact, in close touch with McConnell as GOP experts study the bill for hidden land mines.” <newsweek, 2="" 25="" 02="">
Bush Campaign Accused of Using Push Polls Against McCain.
College of Charleston student Suzette Latsko said she received a telephone call from a woman who identified herself as an employee of Voter/Consumer Research, and that the caller misrepresented McCain’s positions and asked if Latsko knew McCain had been reprimanded for interfering with federal regulators in the savings and loan scandal. Voter/Consumer Research is listed as a polling contractor on Bush’s Federal Election Commission filings; the Bush campaign has paid Voter/Consumer Research $93,000 through December 31, 1999. Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer denied the call was a push poll, but said it was important that the Republican Party remember McCain’s role in the S&L crisis. <houston chronicle,="" 2="" 8="" 00="">
Bush Campaign Acknowledged Making Phone Calls.
Tucker Eskew, Bush’s South Carolina spokesman, acknowledged the Bush campaign made such calls, but claimed they were not “push polls.” Eskew added, “Show me a baseless comment in those questions.”
Bush Used Fringe Veterans Group to Attack McCain as “Manchurian Candidate.”
“In the case of Ted Sampley, the same guy who did Bush's dirty work in going after Sen. John McCain in the 2000 Republican primaries is doing the job against Kerry this year. Sampley dared compare McCain, who spent five years as a Vietnam POW, with ‘the Manchurian Candidate.’” <dionne op-ed,="" washington="" post,="" 4="" 27="" 04="">
Sampley Called McCain a “Coward” and a Traitor.
“Sampley… accused McCain of being a weak-minded coward who had escaped death by collaborating with the enemy. Sampley claimed that McCain had first been compromised by the Vietnamese, then recruited by the Soviets.” </dionne></post></houston></newsweek,></the></new></time,></lansing></drew></ivins></washington></p></td></tr></tbody></table>
Republicans in 2000:
"What Bush did to McCain in the 2000 S. C. primary"
<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="dclite" nowrap="nowrap">
</td> <td class="dclite" width="100%">
FACT SHEET:
Bush Waged Nasty Smear Campaign Against McCain in 2000
Bush Supporters Called McCain “The *** Candidate.” In South Carolina, Bush supporters circulated church fliers that labeled McCain “the *** candidate.” Columnist Frank Rich noted that the fliers were distributed “even as Bush subtly reinforced that message by indicating he wouldn’t hire openly gay people for his administration.” <washington post,="" 18="" 00;="" rich="" op-ed,="" austin="" american-statesman,="" 2="" 29="" 00="">
McCain Slurs Included Illegitimate Children, Homosexuality And A Drug-Addict Wife.
Among the rumors circulated against McCain in 2000 in South Carolina was that his adopted Bangladeshi daughter was actually black, that McCain was both gay and cheated on his wife, and that his wife Cindy was a drug addict.” <ivins column,="" the="" nation,="" 6="" 18="" 01="">
Bush Campaign Used Code Words to Question McCain’s Temper.
“A smear campaign of the ugliest sort is now coursing through the contest for the presidency in 2000. Using the code word "temper," a group of Senate Republicans, and at least some outriders of the George W. Bush campaign, are spreading the word that John McCain is unstable. The subtext, also suggested in this whispering campaign, is that he returned from 5 1/2 years as a POW in North Vietnam with a loose screw. And it is bruited about that he shouldn't be entrusted with nuclear weapons.” <drew op-ed,="" washington="" post,="" 11="" 19="" 99="">
Bush Supporters Questioned McCain’s Sanity.
“Some of George W. Bush's supporters have questioned Republican presidential candidate John McCain's fitness for the White House, suggesting that his five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam drove him insane at the time.” <lansing state="" journal,="" 11="" 23="" 99="">
Bush Supporters Spread Racist Rumors About McCain’s Daughter.
Bush supporters in South Carolina made race-baiting phone calls saying that McCain had a “black child.” The McCains’ daughter, Bridget, was adopted from Mother Teresa’s orphanage in Bangladesh. In August 2000, columnist Maureen Dowd wrote that the McCains “are still seething about Bush supporters in South Carolina spreading word of their dark-skinned adopted daughter.” <time, 6="" boston="" globe,="" 3="" 4="" 00;="" dowd="" column,="" new="" york="" times,="" 8="" 9="" 00="">
Rove Suggests Former POW McCain Committed Treason and Fathered Child With Black Prostitute.
In 2000, McCain operatives in SC accused Rove of spreading rumors against McCain, such as “suggestions that McCain had committed treason while a prisoner of war, and had fathered a child by a black prostitute,” according to the New Yorker. <new yorker,="" 5="" 12="" 03="">
After Rove Denied Role In McCain Whisper Campaign, Reporters Concluded He Was Behind It.
A December 1999 Dallas Morning News linked Rove to a series of campaign dirty tricks, including his College Republican efforts, allegedly starting a whisper campaign about Ann Richard being too gay-friendly, spreading stories about Jim Hightower’s involvement in a kickback scheme and leaking the educational history of Lena Guerrero. The article also outlined current dirty tricks and whisper campaigns against McCain in South Carolina, including that “McCain may be unstable as a result of being tortured while a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.” (DMN, 12/2/99) After the article was published, Rove blasted Slater in the Manchester, NH airport, “nose to nose” according to one witness, with Rove claiming Slater had “harmed his reputation,” Slater later noted. But according to one witness, “What was interesting then is that everyone on the campaign charter concluded that Rove was responsible for rumors about McCain.” <the nation,="" 3="" 5="" 01="">
Rove Was In Close Touch With McConnell, McCain-Feingold’s Chief Opponent.
Senior White House adviser Karl Rove was in close contact with Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) during McConnell’s effort to fight the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Bill in the U.S. Senate. According to Newsweek, though Rove and Bush have publicly kept their distance from McConnell on the issue, “sources tell Newsweek that Rove is, in fact, in close touch with McConnell as GOP experts study the bill for hidden land mines.” <newsweek, 2="" 25="" 02="">
Bush Campaign Accused of Using Push Polls Against McCain.
College of Charleston student Suzette Latsko said she received a telephone call from a woman who identified herself as an employee of Voter/Consumer Research, and that the caller misrepresented McCain’s positions and asked if Latsko knew McCain had been reprimanded for interfering with federal regulators in the savings and loan scandal. Voter/Consumer Research is listed as a polling contractor on Bush’s Federal Election Commission filings; the Bush campaign has paid Voter/Consumer Research $93,000 through December 31, 1999. Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer denied the call was a push poll, but said it was important that the Republican Party remember McCain’s role in the S&L crisis. <houston chronicle,="" 2="" 8="" 00="">
Bush Campaign Acknowledged Making Phone Calls.
Tucker Eskew, Bush’s South Carolina spokesman, acknowledged the Bush campaign made such calls, but claimed they were not “push polls.” Eskew added, “Show me a baseless comment in those questions.”
Bush Used Fringe Veterans Group to Attack McCain as “Manchurian Candidate.”
“In the case of Ted Sampley, the same guy who did Bush's dirty work in going after Sen. John McCain in the 2000 Republican primaries is doing the job against Kerry this year. Sampley dared compare McCain, who spent five years as a Vietnam POW, with ‘the Manchurian Candidate.’” <dionne op-ed,="" washington="" post,="" 4="" 27="" 04="">
Sampley Called McCain a “Coward” and a Traitor.
“Sampley… accused McCain of being a weak-minded coward who had escaped death by collaborating with the enemy. Sampley claimed that McCain had first been compromised by the Vietnamese, then recruited by the Soviets.” </dionne></post></houston></newsweek,></the></new></time,></lansing></drew></ivins></washington></p></td></tr></tbody></table>
