"Keating Five" gives us yet another reason not to trust him.

From MTV.com 9/9/08:

Republican nominees John McCain and Sarah Palin have ignored Heart's request to stop using their song "Barracuda" at political events, CNN reports.

On Tuesday morning (September 9), the 1977 hit played before McCain and Palin showed up for an outdoor rally in Lebanon, Ohio. Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson initially complained when it was played at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, before Palin's appearance last Wednesday and after McCain's speech on Thursday. Palin gained the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" while on her high school basketball team, and Republicans are likely using the rock anthem to remind voters of the Alaska governor's reputation as a tenacious leader.

The band responded to the initial use of the song at the RNC in a press release:

Heart Condemns the Use of the Song Barracuda at the Republican Convention [ 9/5/2008 ]

Rock Group Heart Condemns The Use of The Song Barracuda at The Republican Convention

Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart have informed the McCain/Palin Campaign that Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease-and-desist notice to not use one of Heart's classic songs "Barracuda," as the congratulatory theme for Sarah Palin.
The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission.

"We have asked the Republican campaign not to use our music.

We hope our wishes will be honored."

If the McCain/Palin campaign had stopped using the song at that point, there wouldn't be that much of an ethical concern. However, continuing to use the song delibiberately misleads the people attending their campaign events. As the MTV.com article noted, the purpose of using the song was to build Palin's image. But, since that song is being used over the strong objections of the creators, the image is a lie.

This provides a simple and clear example of the deceptive and dirty tactics that have permeated the McCain campaign. On Saturday, I was watching the Weather Channel for information on Tropical Storm Hanna, and the same John McCain ad ran over, and over.

McCain's campaign made all sorts of accusations against Obama and other Senators which were not only false, but extremely hypocritical. "Keating Five" McCain actually attacked other politicians for supposedly wanting too much government spending. Yet, McCain has pushed harder than any other Senator for continuing and expanding the hugely expensive war of colonial occupation against Iraq.

It gets stranger. Even though McCain has insisted on supporting the hugely expensive Iraq War, the ominous voice over jerk said, "No Balanced Budgets" when talking about Obama. Never mind that "Keating Five" McCain also insists on perpetuating Bush's budget busting tax cuts for the rich.

The ad made no attempt to tell the viewer what John McCain actually plans on doing once president. It just played on fear to make people reluctant to vote for Obama and other Democrats.

Under these circumstances, it is easy to see why members of Heart want nothing to do with disreputable people like McCain and Palin. More from MTV.com:

Later, in an e-mail to EW.com, the Wilson sisters said that "Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. ... While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there."

The McCain/Palin campaign's response has been lawyerly, as exemplified in the MTV.com paraphrase.

The Republican Party did in fact obtain the necessary license to use the song, which can be played when a venue pays a blanket fee to ASCAP, the organization that protects music copyrights.

This too is hypocritical, given the GOP's constant demonizing of lawyers.