PRESCOTT, Ariz., May 9, 2008
McCain Pushed Land Swap That Helps Backer
Washington Post: Senator Championed Bill That Lets Fundraiser Trade Remote Grassland For Valuable Federal Lands
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Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks at a news conference on Monday, May 5, 2008 in Phoenix. (AP)
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Sen. John McCain championed legislation that will let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine forest here for acres of valuable federally owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers.
Initially reluctant to support the swap, the Arizona Republican became a key figure in pushing the deal through Congress after the rancher and his partners hired lobbyists that included McCain's 1992 Senate campaign manager, two of his former Senate staff members (one of whom has returned as his chief of staff), and an Arizona insider who was a major McCain donor and is now bundling campaign checks.
When McCain's legislation passed in November 2005, the ranch owner gave the job of building as many as 12,000 homes to SunCor Development, a firm in Tempe, Ariz., run by Steven A. Betts, a longtime McCain supporter who has raised more than $100,000 for the presumptive Republican nominee. Betts said he and McCain never discussed the deal.
The Audubon Society described the exchange as the largest in Arizona history. The swap involved more than 55,000 acres of land in all, including rare expanses of desert woodland and pronghorn antelope habitat. The deal had support from many local officials and the Arizona Republic newspaper for its expansion of the Prescott National Forest. But it brought an outcry from some Arizona environmentalists when it was proposed in 2002, partly because it went through Congress rather than a process that allowed more citizen input.
Although the bill called for the two parcels to be of equal value, a federal forestry official told a congressional committee that he was concerned that "the public would not receive fair value" for its land. A formal appraisal has not yet begun. A town official opposed to the swap said other Yavapai Ranch land sold nine years ago for about $2,000 per acre, while some of the prime commercial land near a parcel that the developers will get has brought as much as $120,000 per acre.
In an interview, Betts said there is "absolutely no" connection between his contributions to McCain's presidential bids and the deal involving rancher Fred Ruskin and the Yavapai Ranch Limited Partnership. While his company's possible involvement was discussed casually before the bill's passage, Betts said SunCor did not sign on to the project until afterward. "At no time during the consideration of this legislation was there any involvement by officials of SunCor," McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said in a written response to questions. (read the campaign's full answers)
Betts is among a string of donors who have benefited from McCain-engineered land swaps. In 1994, the senator helped a lobbyist for land developer Del Webb Corp. pursue an exchange in the Las Vegas area, according to the Center for Public Integrity. McCain sponsored two bills, in 1991 and 1994, sought by donor Donald R. Diamond that yielded the developer thousands of acres in trade for national parkland.
In the late 1990s, McCain promoted a deal in Arizona's Tonto National Forest involving property part-owned by Great American Life Insurance, a company run by billionaire Carl H. Lindner Jr., a prolific contributor to national political parties and presidential candidates.
With the federal government owning vast stretches of Arizona land, and with pressure to meet increasing housing demands, McCain now views land swaps as beneficial, Rogers said. "He certainly recognizes that there have been well-documented abuses of legislative land exchanges, but every land exchange bill introduced by Senator McCain has been written with the highest regard for the public interest."
As McCain positions himself as a champion of environmentl causes, observers of the Yavapai Ranch swap say it shows a paradox in the senator's positions. At times, he has fought to protect the delicate desert ecosystem. But when wildlife concerns have thwarted development, his loyalties have shifted.
"When the public trust intersects with private interests, basically, he has favored land development . . . in every case," said Rob Smith, director of the Sierra Club's Arizona affiliate.
McCain also has been critical of government's "revolving door," which allows former government officials to position themselves as influential lobbyists. Rogers said that McCain does not recall being lobbied by his former staff members on the land swap and that "no lobbyist influenced Senator McCain on this issue."
The Yavapai exchange idea surfaced a decade ago as area land values soared. Ruskin and his siblings for years have used the inherited property as a cattle operation.
Development was complicated, because the land was intertwined with federally owned forest, creating what land management officials call "the checkerboard." Ruskin's ranch and the federal property comprise alternating square-mile plots across swaths of northern Arizona.
For the U.S. Forest Service, the tangle of public and private property posed a management headache. For Ruskin and his family, it became an opportunity.
Ruskin said he spent months researching federal land exchanges, and decided the regular process used by the Forest Service would be too complicated to ever get done. The trade he wanted would involve three cities, three national forests, two counties and 15 land parcels. He persuaded then-Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) to draft a bill proposing the exchange of 35,000 acres of ranch property for 21,000 acres of federally owned Arizona land.
Ruskin set his sights on prime development property astride a major interstate, land adjacent to the Flagstaff airport and a contiguous stretch of the ranch that would allow housing development. He estimated that the ranch land, if subdivided and developed, would easily sell for more than $250 million -- and that had to be calculated into any swap.
© 2008 The Washington Post Company
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See all 163 Commentsoh come on, it wasn''t necessary for them to be involved, they were going to get the contract no matter what. do they really think were that stupid. all this spin making me dizzy.
Yeah, right. No connection at all.
Just one more reason for allowing a line item veto and/or eliminating "pork" from congressional bills.
Maybe we need to order some more "Saturday Night Live" skits. Really sad indeed.
The "Axis of liberal mis-information" :
liberal MSM wolfpack press,
elite liberal Hollywood,
and elitle liberal college professors (and their contaminated students).
If folks want to know what''s wrong with America, it''s the majority control of flamming liberals in those corrupt institutions...........sad.
Yeah, CBS you part of the same group, elite liberals.
There is no evidence stated in this article that proves it was an unfair deal. Once again, there is only speculation by CBS. It%u2019s like when they tried to smear McCain saying he was having an affair with an employee. Just like now, there is no evidence, only speculation and innuendo. Anything to get a Dem in office. What a shame that a once great institution like CBS has lost all objectivity in its reporting. What a poor example of journalistic integrity and every fair minded person knows it. Looks to me like this win-win for all.
Why isn''t McCain asked these questions by the corporate media:
- having lobbyists on his staff and still proclaiming he''s not associated with lobbyists
- seeking the endorsement of pastors who say things far offensive to groups than Rev. Wright did.
- shady deals he''s made as Senator
- breaking his own campaign finance laws.
- flip flopping on positions now that he''s become the GOP nominee (was against tax cuts, etc.)
Posted by bm6005 at 11:09 AM : May 09, 2008
anyone but the corporate media who loves him has always known John McBush''s ''maverick'' label was just a scam!
Now they will have to tear down McCain....you''ll be seeing a lot more of this.
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Posted by incog-nito at 11:40 AM : May 09, 2008
Right!!!! Obama swapped his speech against the war for a million dollar mansion...sounds like a typical politician to me.
Now they will have to tear down McCain....you''''ll be seeing a lot more of this.
Posted by LibH8er at 11:52 AM : May 09, 2008
You see a lot of Americans condemning this irresponsible act and all a Repug like you could do, is blame the press - for exactly what ? The press didn''t stock up his campaign with lobbysts, he did ... also i believed he never had any earmarks of any kind but now we know what kind of Pork he eats. On a side note, why is Mrs. McCain the only person left amongst the nominees of both parties, that''s still refusing to disclose her returns ?? What''s she trying to hide ? We already know she''s an elitist and Obama is the poorest of all three. Cheers!
Nice to see at least one established news source treats their position in ''journalism'' as legitimate. while the rest of the corporate media simply parrot GOP talking points with ease and no sense of balance.
Now they will have to tear down McCain....you''''''''ll be seeing a lot more of this.
Posted by LibH8er at 11:52 AM : May 09, 2008
Now heaven knows I don''t want to tell on of you "Superior" types how do defend the record of a flip flopper like McSame but after Sir Lies-A-LOT I just somehow thing the "Blame the Media" card is going to help much! Now get out your hood and sheet there and help me out here! Ready?? SIEG HEIL BUSH!! Good little Bootlicker!!
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Posted by LibH8er at 11:49 AM : May 09, 2008
+ report abuse
Strange, I didn''t see that anywhere. Maybe the reason you''re a Nazi is you lack basic education... have you concidered a Night Course... Start with READING BASIC''s! Sieg Heil Bush
Right!!!! Obama swapped his speech against the war for a million dollar mansion...sounds like a typical politician to me.
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Posted by RowdyTexan2 at 11:55 AM : May 09, 2008
+ report abuse
LOL You Fascist will never change will you? Can''t defend the Fuhrer??? Just make up a wilder story! Sieg Heil!! ROFLMAO
Maybe Depends commercials are in his future!
as soon as they get a little power behind them,
the great american vaseline jar comes out..
time to pay up for the donations...
"At times, he has fought to protect the delicate desert ecosystem. But when wildlife concerns have thwarted development, his loyalties have shifted." -from the above article.
Wow can you be a proponent of the environment but switch sides when development is concerned. This is an outrage. I hope either of the Democratic candidates (preferably Obama, since he is basically the nominee) addresses this.
Posted by tyjohn47 at 12:49 PM : May 09, 2008
He''s like MC Hammer....jobless and living off the government. LOL
This is how the neo cons run ALL of their business.
Obviously, he''s pandering for their votes.
Why should she release her returns? She''s not running for office?
Why should she release her returns? She''''s not running for office?
Posted by LibH8er at 12:57 PM : May 09, 2008
Neither was Teresa Kerry you moron, but the GOP slime machine attacked her again and again until she did release her personal returns. Turn about is fair play you know.
I am not at all surprised, this is bread and butter to Republicons...
Posted by SgtRDS at 01:01 PM : May 09, 2008
You''re the moron. SHe didn''t release any tax returns....she release a ''two page document'' with cherry picked info. You f**king nosepicking, bedwetting lib troll.
Better hurry, you''ll miss your afternoon soaps!!!
Know what will happen to McCain? He will be your next president. :)
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