Marc Ambinder noticed the irony earlier today, and I quote;

Goodyear and Davenport were recruited by McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, who has been accused by some current and former McCain advisers of take insufficient care of McCain's reformer brand by appointing lobbyists to key positions. Ironically, as Newsweek reported, Goodyear was asked to become convention CEO after Davis's lobbying firm partner, Paul Manafort, was nixed because of his own close ties to foreign governments and controversial companies.

Emphasis added. The International Herald Tribune had a great article detailing some of the work Manafort has done. Anyone who remembers the Orange Revolution would remember who Manafort is representing. Yet the ties between McCain's associates and anti-Western figures do not stop there. Indeed, in 2006, John McCain himself was introduced to a Russian by the name of Oleg Deripaska.

Deripaska is filthy rich(billions..) and widely thought to have had links to organized crime. He's also infamous for shady business practices which are "legal" in Russia. Much like Yanukovych, another figure connected to Paul Manafort and Rick Davis. The two are also similar in their loyalty to Vladimir Putin of Russia. Yet unlike Yanukovych, Deripaska was given the honor of meeting Senator McCain. Despite having a revoked visa, despite having pending lawsuits both here in the U.S. and the U.K., he met with a United States Senator.

( Since the posting of this diary, the New York Times has noticed McCain/Davis/Deripaska )

Deripaska is not someone to brush aside as "a low ally of Putin's." He's on track to becoming the richest man in the world.The title of the Washington Post article that broke the story was "Aide Helped Controversial Russian Meet McCain." The aide is, of course, Rick Davis. Oleg Deripaska is described as being "so controversial that the U.S. government revoked his visa." That takes a lot of controversy!

Rick Davis, who is now McCain's campaign manager, helped set up the encounter between McCain and Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska in Switzerland during an international economic conference. At the time, Davis was working for a lobbying firm and seeking to do business with the billionaire.

Emphasis added.

I wonder what business exactly has taken place since then and now between Davis/Deripaska. Don't you? Is it involving the Ukraine and Putin's allies there? You know, the ones that Manafort was working for. The name "Oleg Deripaska" is going to be known during this election season. Trust me on that.

There is no evidence that McCain did anything for Deripaska after they met at a social gathering over drinks and dinner. Deripaska was grateful for the introduction, writing a thank-you note to Davis and his partner and offering to assist them in a subsequent business deal , according to a copy of the note obtained by The Washington Post.

Emphasis added.

Yes, I am still wondering about those business deals between Davis and Deripaska. The Washington Post article details some more about the letter and the first meeting. Yes, the first meeting.

Later that month, Deripaska wrote to Davis and his partner, GOP political consultant Paul J. Manafort, to thank them for arranging the meeting. /snip The letter went on to mention a business deal that Deripaska and the consultants had apparently been talking about. "Please will you send me the information on the metals trading company we discussed and would be happy to see if I can do anything to help," Deripaska wrote.

Emphasis added.

Deripaska sounds fairly grateful, doesn't he? Maybe he's only grateful because he's such a nice guy, right? Is anyone else still curious about these deals between Davis and Deripaska? I know I am, I'm hoping more reporters are. Maybe once the Democratic nomination is over and down with.. I mean, really over and done with. It could refer to this. The Washington Post mentions the second time when McCain, Davis, and Deripaska were together. This time in Montenegro where Davis's firm had been doing work.

Afterward, a group from the dinner took boats out to a nearby yacht moored in the Adriatic Sea, where champagne and pastries were served, partly in honor of McCain's 70th birthday. Salter said neither McCain nor Davis recalls Deripaska being on the yacht after dinner.

McCain and Davis can't recall if Deripaska was there? It wasn't that long ago, just over a year and a half. Granted I'd probably forget, but then again I don't usually meet with some of the richest and most controversial men of the world. Perhaps one excerpt from the Washington Post story best sums up this situation and John McCain;

The letter was sent to Davis at the Reform Institute, a Virginia-based nonprofit group that McCain helped start to promote many of his trademark reform efforts, including increasing the transparency of lobbying and campaign financing. Davis was the institute's president from January 2003 until December 2005. During that time, he was also a registered lobbyist at Davis Manafort. The institute was located at the Davis Manafort offices until January 2006.

Emphasis added. The irony is breath-taking. It's a shame the Washington Post didn't receive more credit for this when they reported it, but McCain wasn't exactly seen as a front-runner for the Republican nomination at the time.

So what is it with John McCain and his like for people who lobby on behalf of these people? These people who rule with an iron fist in Burma, who make a bunch of monks go missing. Those people in Eastern Europe, poisoning political opponents and rigging elections. Rising to power alongside organized crime, like Yanukovych and Deripaska. Rising to power alongside Vladimir Putin. What kind of campaign is John McCain trying to run? And what business deals exist between Oleg Deripaska and Rick Davis?