J.P. Freire, managing editor of the conservative American Spectator magazine, is outraged. Simply outraged that the New York Times would have the sheer audacity to run a questionable article about a possible tawdry affair between Sen. John McCain and lobbyist Vicki Iseman. That the so-called Paper of Record would dare hint at a sex scandal.

“If you want to have reliable journalism, or any sort of standards when it comes to reporting the right things, maybe what you should do is…avoid going to the New York Times,” Freire said last Thursday on Neil Cavuto’s FOX News program (YouTube below). “They can’t be relied on to tell a decent story, especially when it comes to John McCain.”

Freire went further. He wants people to boycott the publication. Cancel their subscriptions. Rip the paper to shreds.

“It’s sloppy work,” Freire insisted. “It’s not properly attributed.”

Stop the presses. Doesn’t Freire work for the same American Spectator that unabashedly pursued a story involving someone named Paula Jones (they only referred to her by first name in the beginning) and her allegations of an affair with President Bill Clinton? Didn’t the American Spectator rely on several unnamed sources in that situation? Didn’t employees of the American Spectator long pursue a whispering campaign, fostering rumors that President Clinton fathered a child out of wedlock with a young African American woman? Didn’t they leak that unfounded story to Matt Drudge in 1999?

The magazine, it turns out, is a verifiable glass house.

Still, we have no doubt that Freire’s outrage is real. But, perhaps, it stems from a source other than indignity over journalistic standards. After all, before working for the American Spectator, Freire did work at the New York Times. And he was forced to move on when his boss got demoted.

Now he’s throwing stones.

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Big Head DC has obtained a copy of a tax warrant for Bill Keller, the editor of the controversial New York Times Sen. John McCain / Vicki Iseman story:

The warrant indicates that as of early this month Keller owed almost $1,000 in unpaid taxes, according to the New York Tax Commissioner. h/t: webofdeception.com

Earlier: NY Times Editor Bill Keller Had an Affair, Too?

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If editors at the New York Times believe that John McCain has ethical issues and may have had an affair with lobbyist Vicki Iseman — enough so to run a lengthy article on these topics — then why did the publication recently endorse McCain? From the January 25, 2008 issue of the paper:

Still, there is a choice to be made, and it is an easy one. Senator John McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe. With a record of working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation, he would offer a choice to a broader range of Americans than the rest of the Republican field.

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From the tip box:

QUESTION TO BE LEFT ON JIM RUTENBERG’s VOICEMAIL at NEW YORK TIMES: (202) 862-0408.

“If you report a story about McCain and a non-confirmable affair that both he and the woman deny, and use anonymous sources, why are you ducking the story that has exploded on the internet relating to allegations by Larry Sinclair involving Barack Obama’s alleged cocaine use, infidelity, and lies.”

Earlier: Larry Sinclair to Take Polygraph In Attempt to Prove Obama Drug & Sex Allegations

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The New York Times — the Paper of Record — failed to live up to its reputation once again if Friday’s edition was any evidence. The Grey Lady has striven to provide the best political reporting this year but continues to get trounced by the Washington Post on a near daily basis. It’s not hard to see why.

On Friday in particular, the Times must have been suffering from a little dementia…it seems they conveniently forgot they were at a debate sponsored by FOX News Channel, omitting the network from the story entirely, and deciding that Brit Hume, Chris Wallace, Carl Cameron and Wendell Goler were simply “moderators” in the photo caption which accompanied the story, and didn’t need to be identified with FOX News Channel or have their actual names mentioned. Meanwhile, major papers like the Washington Post and USA Today credited the network in their stories.

As one wag told us, “That’s equivalent to FOX identifying a New York Times writer on the air as a ‘reporter’ and not mentioning their name or what paper they’re associated with…which would never happen since it’s downright unprofessional.”

Turns out the Times saw what a colossal error they had made and quickly ran a correction, but the photo omission went unacknowledged. Big Head DC hears that the editors felt they had enough egg on their faces with the one correction and didn’t want to draw more attention to their mistakes with another. One Times insider told us, Read more…

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Big Head DC has learned the New York Times plans to announce that conservative Bill Kristol will become a columnist for the newspaper in 2008. Kristol recently left TIME magazine.

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Matt Drudge reports:

Just weeks away from a possible surprise victory in the primaries, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz has been waging a ferocious behind the scenes battle with the NEW YORK TIMES, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, and has hired DC power lawyer Bob Bennett to mount a bold defense against charges of giving special treatment to a lobbyist!

And, thus far, the publication’s top editors have bowed to McCain’s demands, despite apparently solid reporting from their reporters.

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Andrew Giuliani, son of Rudy, has told the Duke Chronicle that the New York Times falsely portrayed his relationship with his dad, and that they are closer than the newspaper reported. In March, the paper and other news outlets ran with stories suggesting the family was in an emotional turmoil.

“We are both working on our relationship,” Andrew told ABC News at the time. “No matter what he’s done, I love my father. He’s my father and we love each other. It’s not as good as it once was — but it’s better than when it was its lowest, and it is getting better all the time.”

“I have problems with my father, but it doesn’t mean he won’t make a great president,” he added. “He was a great mayor. He did great things for New York and would be very effective as a president. He is a great leader. He has vision, and he is willing to stand up for what he believes in.”

In the new Duke report, Andrew says the paper twisted his sentiments.

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The New York Times’ ombudsman says the newspaper violated its standards when it gave the liberal group MoveOn.org a $77,508 price break on a full-page advertisement that labelled Gen. David H. Petraeus as Gen. Betray Us.

The organization paid $64,575, instead of the standard $142,083 for the ad questioning the war in Iraq, the newspaper’s public editor, Clark Hoyt, wrote in a column published yesterday.

Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis told Hoyt that an advertising sales representative shouldn’t have agreed to the discounted price. The Times’ internal advertising standards bans ads involving attacks of a personal nature, Hoyt wrote. Plus, discounted ads are supposed to be given a “floating date” for publication, but MoveOn.org was guaranteed a Sept. 10 placement.

“We made a mistake,” Mathis told Hoyt.

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The Times’ story has been out for 20 minutes now; still nothing up at WaPo. Kind of embarrassing, no?

UPDATE: WaPo runs with brief Reuters story:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing a senior administration official.

The official said an official announcement would be made later in the day.

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