I understand why people are trying to make a big deal out of this, but I disagree:
arly in 2007, just as her husband launched his presidential bid, Cindy McCain sought to resolve an old problem – the lack of cellphone coverage on her remote 15-acre ranch near Sedona, Ariz., nestled deep in a tree-lined canyon called Hidden Valley.
Over the past year, she offered land for a permanent cell tower, and Verizon Wireless embarked on an expensive public process to meet her needs, hiring contractors and seeking county land-use permits.
Verizon ultimately abandoned its effort to install a permanent tower in August. Company spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said the project would be “an inappropriate way” to build its network. “It doesn’t make business sense for us to do that,” he added.
Instead, Verizon delivered a portable tower known as a “cell site on wheels” – free of charge – to the McCain property in June, after the Secret Service began inquiring about improving coverage in the area. Such devices are used for providing temporary capacity where coverage is lacking or has been knocked out, in circumstances ranging from the Super Bowl to hurricanes.
As far as I am concerned, when it comes to the safety of our candidates and our past and current Presidents, what the Secret Service wants the Secret Service gets. Period.
Egilsson
You are right.
Some people carry things to an extreme and just take stupid positions essentially that everything done for or said by McCain is criminal or stupid. That’s silly.
Of course, this would be true as applied to Palin…
KJ
I think the larger point is that Verizon/AT&T should be billing SOMEONE, even the Secret Service, for providing this service.
Jim Wilson
Good point, John. Much as I’d like to bash McCain for it, I agree with you. But I’ll be interested to see if the ‘temporary’ tower comes down after the election, should McCain no longer need the same level of Secret Service protection.
Comrade Incertus
It’s an example of how the super wealthy get advantages that the average person doesn’t get, but that’s about as surprising as learning that water is wet.
carsick
It reads as though Cindy McCain, not the Secret Service, requested the service. (I believe the Secret Service use satellite phones btw).
But, I agree, since this coincides with the presidential run, it is a safety issue and appropriate. If it happened a few years ago and permanent towers were put in place, it would be another matter.
Elvis Elvisberg
I dunno.
It seems like this originated from the McCain folks, not the Secret Service.
Really, it sounds like she made a request like a normal person would… and then the companies fell all over themselves to build $100,000 set-ups. Unless there’s a missing step there, I guess it’s just one of the perks of being an heiress/senator, rather than there being any impropriety. But it doesn’t sound like this all originated with the Secret Service.
Jonathan W.
I agree that this is a non-issue, but wouldn’t it be cheaper to just use satellite phones?
Alexander Klingman
I’d also add that I work for a prominent cell phone company, and it’s hardly unusual to investigate the possibility of building a cell phone tower on ranches like McCain’s. If there’s enough people around to support it and the landowner requests it. This situation isn’t unusual at all.
Napoleon
Even if it wasn’t for the Secret Service I still don’t see it as such a big deal. I assume McCain pays for his cell phone like I do. If that is the case all he gets if they set up the tower is the same service I get at my house. In other words he now gets the privilage to use up his minutes he pays for or to pay to use additional minutes.
jeff
It seems to me it would make business sense as well. From the tone of the articles on this i got the impression that a lot of campaign work was being done from this location so there were probably a large number of staffers making a large number of cell phone calls using these towers. Its not like they were brought in for the use of just John and Cindy McCain. There was probably plenty of traffic to justify having the towers (but not to justify permanent towers since the traffic should die out after the election).
catskill
The Secret Service already stated that they do not rely on commercial cellular service for communication.
A McCain spokesperson said that Cindy made the request like any other customer, through the Verizon website. Seriously? Because I used to work for a cellular provider and I can tell you there has never been a time where a customer complained about poor signal in a rural area and got their own personal cell tower installed. This reeks, and it is important because McCain repeatedly states that he will reform Washington and end cronyism and stop unethical behavior. I guess he means for everyone except himself.
SGEW
Right on. Even if there are unsavory details, viz a viz Cindy McCain’s request or Verizon’s overindulgence, no one should make any hay out of this: we do not want to tie the U.S.S.S.’s hands in any way, in this day and age.
lutton
I recently attended a family party in New Canaan, CT – one of the most well-to-do towns in the country. Even though we were just a few miles off I-95, there was no cell phone coverage at the property.
So even in the density of the northeast, in the greater NYC region, it’s possible to run into place where there is no cell coverage.
Jason Brzoska
John-
There may be a bit more to the story; it’s not clear whether the Secret Service really did request the tower. The story appears to still be developing…
politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1008/Verizon_exec_says_it_was_Secret_Service_request_that_prompted…
-Jason Brzoska
Nicholas Weaver
Frankly, Verizon would be stupid NOT to. This litte 15 acre patch is a center of policital power, and politicians need their crackberries.
I’m actually suprised it wasn’t done a year ago, just based on network demand maps.
Jay Severin Has A Small Pen1s
Hey, when you desperately want to separate yourself from the unwashed masses, your gonna have to give up some of the life’s necessities.
The Grand Panjandrum
If the facts are indeed correct then this is not much ado about nothing. The piece is as much innuendo as it is fact. What exactly is the time line?
Yawn …
After last nights debate let me be the first at Balloon Juice to write:
Congratulations President-elect Barack Obama!
You can put that in your pipe and smoke it. Done. Finito. Fin. Finis. The only question left for me is: By how much?
I am in no way saying BHO’s supporters should now be complacent. Not even. I want to crush these fuckers like a roach trying to scurry out of the way when the lights suddenly get turned on. I’ll be volunteering several hours a week for the MUP and working to get rid on the last remaining Republican in this states Congressional delegation.
In other words I want me some coattails!
Napoleon
I personally will not be happy unless the Dems get up over 60 in the Senate and pick up at least 30 in the house, and along the way pick off some of the favorites of the right (much in the way Santorum and Allen bit the dust last time). I want it to be so bad that it will be a year before any of the Rep. can go on TV and bitch about something the Dems are doing without being laughed at.
Benjamin
Actually the problem is that the article states clearly the tower was built BEFORE the Secret Service intervened at all.
Zifnab
I seriously doubt they’ll break the 60 line. But if you can get a 58 / 42 Senate and pad out the House with progressive Dems, you can start swinging Senators like Lugar, Hagel, and Voinovich your way to break filibusters. Ultimately, it will be more potent to have Republican "defectors" to counter Lieber-Dems than it will be to have a bunch of guys with D in front of their names who cowardly or happily sell out to the Bush-era Republican agenda. It’s not enough to marginalize the party. You’ve got to marginalize the ideology.
But there are more than a few GOoPer Senators I would LOVE to see bite the dust. If we can oust the Minority Leader and Dole – ex head of the RSCC – we can upset the entire power base of the party. Owning the entire Senate won’t be much more valuable than popping off those big-wigs.
Comrade Stuck
I think every rich blond heiress and her cranky old fart husband should have their very own cell tower. It’s only fair in America that Cindy can call her private jet to pick her up for some bargain shopping in Rio.
Napoleon
The funny thing is that if they get really wiped out it will be mostly some of their most articulate members that will be gone leaving some of the weirdest of the wingnuts to carry the flag for the Reps.
Mr Furious
At a glance, I agree completely about safety of candidates and (if McCain were to win) Presidents and whatever technology or equipment needed for the Secret Service to do its job.
But if you read that article closely, the Secret Service DIDN’T ask for it, didn’t need it, and Verizon or the McCains invoking the SS to clear county regulatory red tape was improper.
Now, again, I think providing cell coverage is perfectly appropriate and probably advisable, but it does appear corners were cut and strings pulled. And somebody should be paying the bill—probably the secret service.
And in four weeks when he loses, that temporary tower should be wheeled out of there unless cindy wants to pick up the tab.
Sasha
@Benjamin
Exactly. The problem is that Cindy McCain pulled strings, not that it was needed for safety. If she was concerned for safety she could have approached the Secret Service. But as long as it is the McCain’s asking for special service it represents a conflict of interest for the Senator. I hope he reports this service on his financial disclosure form.
Mr Furious
Stupid blockquotes and non-working editing…
At a glance, I agree completely about safety of candidates and (if McCain were to win) Presidents and whatever technology or equipment needed for the Secret Service to do its job.
But if you read that article closely, the Secret Service DIDN’T ask for it, didn’t need it, and Verizon or the McCains invoking the SS to clear county regulatory red tape was improper.
Now, again, I think providing cell coverage is perfectly appropriate and probably advisable, but it does appear corners were cut and strings pulled. And somebody should be paying the bill—probably the secret service.
And in four weeks when he loses, that temporary tower should be wheeled out of there unless cindy wants to pick up the tab.
Mr Furious
Ooo. Editing worked THAT time…
Mr Furious
Put it this way…
If that tower is still out there next month, THEN it’s a story.
b. hussein canuckistani (comrade)
I don’t know how cell phone performance down there compares to up here in Canada, but I’ve had enough occasions when I couldn’t get a connection to make me think the Secret Service shouldn’t be relying on commercial providers. The story sounds kinda fishy to me.
Robert Sneddon
The cell towers deployed at the McCain place are what as known as COW – Cell On Wheels. They’re always temporary installations, used to cover flash crowd situations when the number of cellphone users suddenly goes up by a few orders of magnitude. Right now there’s a buttload of extra folks in the vicinity of the McCain place using cellphones, and that flash load will take down the existing local network if it isn’t augmented. The COW towers cope with that extra load until it goes away on November 5 at which point the towers will go away too (probably to DC to help cover the flash crowd at President-elect Obama’s inauguration…).
A permanent tower installation to upgrade the cellphone service in that area might happen regardless, but unless the long-term traffic forecasts justify it I don’t see the network operators dropping lots of cash to do so (hundreds of kilobucks per install plus a lot of state paperwork and ongoing maintenance costs) if they’re not going to get the increased traffic revenue to pay for it.
Cruel Jest
I didn’t know about the Secret Service angle until now. That pretty much makes it a non story. This is analogous to the whole Nancy Pelosi’s Plane! controversy. The House Security Chief demanded a non stop flight so that’s what they got.
alex milstein
I bet those McCains can’t wait until hardwired landlines are developed so they can actually move away from those old-fangled cell things.
Alaskan Pete
Actually, it’s not a "non-story". Are you really trying to convince me that the US Secret Service doesn’t have access to Sattelite phones?
ray
Can you smear me now? Ha! Imagine the outrage if,say.Nancy Pelosi requested a larger jet for her travels from Cal. to D.C. Golly gee, sum of dem dere bloggers would asplode u betcha.
Dennis - SGMM
Seing as how McCain invented the Blackberry, giving him a cell phone tower was the least they could do.
Screamin' Demon
If it were Obama requesting and receiving an unnecessary cellphone tower, the right wing would dial up a shitstorm, and the media would intensify the "elitist" meme against him.
McCain gets an unnecessary tower through the efforts of his wife and not the Secret Service, and John Cole shrugs his shoulders and says "whatever."
Len
Thing is, John, that the Secret Service did not ask for this. The Secret Service said they could get along just fine with what they already had… things like satellite phones, etc. Cindy wanted the cell towers, John is in a position to help the cell phone companies, so Cindy got the cell towers. While the Secret Service is a handy scapegoat for this travesty, the truth is that they had nothing to do with it. And I hope they (our tax dollars) are not paying for it.
BombIranForChrist
Yeah, I am with you John. Even though Cindy McCain is genetically predisposed to Queen-like behavior and I am sure she is used to demanding favors from corporations in return for her husband’s favor, as is her right as a Rich Person in Murka, the Secret Service angle makes this a nonstory for me. Whatever Cindy’s initial intentions.
TheDeadlyShoe
I agree with comments that it’s fishy. But I think John Cole is correct that this is a non-starter politically and questionable morally. We don’t really know the full situation. And hell, if we want to attack Cindy McCain, there’s always the drugs angle.
Phoenician in a time of Romans
Congratulations President-elect Barack Obama!
Before counting your chickens, you might wanna note that it is Diebold squatting over them…
I’ll be sure when the final result is announced, not before.
Michael Gass
This may or may not have already been brought out, but,
a) The Secret Service did not make the request, Cindy McCain made the request for better service.
b) The Secret Service already stated that they had adequate coverage on their own service for that area.
c) While it all seems on the "up and up", you have a sitting Senator who got a "freebie" from two telecommunications companies because, as I understand it, nobody is paying for the mobile towers.
and d) The companies are defending this with "but anyone can REQUEST better service". Sure. How many GET it for free?
So, yes, this is, and should be, a huge story just like any story where a sitting Senator gets a "freebie" from some company.
Len
Ever wonder why Democrats lose elections? We have a perfect example right here. If this had been the wife of a Democratic senator (or, heaven forbid, Michelle Obama) asking for and receiving special treatment from companies who stand to benefit from her husband’s position on a senatorial committee, we would never had heard the end of it from the Republicans. It would have been screamed from the front pages of every newspaper in the country as well as every newscast on every network. But we’re Democrats. We’ll excuse it because "the Secret Service wanted it." The Secret Service didn’t want it. The Secret Service was perfectly content with the coverage they already had. Cindy wanted it. John’s position got it for her. This screams ethics violation to the high heavens, but we’ll sit back and take it, because we’re the "nice guys." Bull. I’m tired of being the nice guy. I wanna win! I’m tired of taking the crap. I wanna start dishing it out.
Stupid story, indeed.
SGEW
Sometimes nice guys win.
See, e.g., Obama, Barack.
Len
@SGEW:
Here’s the deal, SGEW… Obama, Barack hasn’t won yet. Now is not the time to start counting our chickens. Not yet. We’ll have plenty of time to do that on Wednesday morning, November 5. Or not.
Remember how sure we all were about this time four years ago that there was no way John Kerry could possibly lose to that idiot George Bush. Well, guess what?
We’ve still got a ways to go here. Let’s not start congratulating ourselves just yet, okay?
SGEW
Not I. I was massively unsurprised by Bush’s 2004 "victory."
But I really can’t imagine a plausible scenario where McCain wins the election except through outright fraud – which cannot be stopped by making a scandal out of their cell towers. Dig?
And yeah, yeah, yeah: I’m still campaigning an’ callin’ and volunteerin’ etc. etc. Goin’ back to PA this upcoming weedend. I’m not congratulating anyone yet, but I appreciate the concern.
Len
Yeah, okay, I dig. Ethics violations are only for Democrats. Got it. Thanks.
And for the concern… my friend, you’re welcome.
darms
I don’t know much about the McCain’s and the cellphone towers, only what I read. But Joshua Green at the Atlantic says there’s something there.
Me? The McCain commercial I saw tonight linking Obama to Ayres & claiming Obama was in favor of deregulating the financial industry (the ‘bad judgment’ ad, oh really Mr. "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran"?) while neglecting to mention McCain’s support of same (let alone his Keating 5 membership) is IMHO a far better argument against McCain.
Comrade Desert Hussein Rat
Actually, if this explanation meshes with the facts, I think the Secret Service acted appropriately.
On the other hand, remember that Verizon has a very huge stake in this election…net neutrality. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the "tower on wheels" conveniently left on McCain’s property after November 5.