The Keating Five

A lot of people tell me they're "scared" when they think of Barack Obama becoming president, yet nobody can give me a good reason to be scared. Some have pointed to Barack's reverend, or his "friend," Bill Ayers as reasons he cannot be trusted (I've never been unduly influenced by a radical bishop, and I have friends who have done some bad things, but it doesn't make me do bad things).
So, while everyone is complaining about the character of Obama, I will introduce a small topic about John McCain's character. Who has heard of The Keating Five Scandal? If you haven't, you may be shocked.
Lawrence Lessig says on the topic,
"For those not old enough to remember, here's the outline: 5 Senators, all of whom had received campaign funding from Charles Keating, intervene with regulators to get them to overlook criminal behavior by Keating, leading to the collapse of Lincoln Savings, leading to a $3.4 billion bill for Americans. The only one of those 5 Senators to receive both personal and political benefits from Keating: McCain. Totally relevant to the question whether the judgment of this candidate is the sort that's needed at this time. Totally relevant to the basic question whether his philosophy -- deregulate -- is what this sector needs at this time."
Video below. [Credit to boingboing]