McCain Keeps Close Friends Who Keep Enemies Closer

GRUMPY OLD MEN Gramm, McCain (Photo: Getty Images) John McCain is taking more heat this week for larding the upper rungs of his campaign with high-paid lobbyists. Say hello to the latest favored target: former Texas senator Phil Gramm, who is both a top McCain insider and a big muckety-muck at Swiss banking behemoth UBS. Attention is largely focusing on Gramm's helping McCain formulate policies for dealing with the subprime mortgage mess while simultaneously maintaining allegiance to his European paymasters who are neck-deep in said mess. A sturdy cudgel for Democrats hacking away at McCain's credibility as a Washington reformer, for sure, but really just one of several presented by Gramm's banking side-job.