Does John McCain have ethics troubles?

The New York Times recently ran a story regarding John McCain's lobbyist ties, specifically those involving Vicki Iseman. The story mentioned some McCain aides who feared that the relationship, which McCain said was never sexual, would draw attention (negative, of course) to their boss, possibly hurting McCain's career.

The NYT story was not an editorial, however, in true form, the Republican presidential candidate's campaign issued this statement:

"It is a shame that The New York Times has lowered its standards to engage in a hit-and-run smear campaign."

Instead of blaming the Senator for being a little too cozy with lobbyists, which involved flights on corporate jets, etc, they blame the media for reporting it. Classic.