It's not maligning him to mention that because of those relationships, no matter how tenuous, he would NEVER be able to qualify for a security clearance. Not in one million years.
The men and women who serve our country, those who work for the government, MUST have a security clearance (even government contractors). In many cases, the ability to keep the clearance is a source of stress for them (credit issues, past offenses - including illegal drugs, etc). How fair is it that THEY have to worry so terribly about the ability to keep their clearance when the candidate in question would never be able to hold one?
How can he be a good president (AKA Commander-in-Chief) if he will never be eligible for a SC?
I'm sorry, but I would have thought that someone that had wanted to grow up to be president one day would have thought about those things and would have been more careful about the company he kept (however tenuous).
I know many public servants who've aspired since childhood to serve their country that were much more careful than he was. People that worried about every bill, every brush with "unsavory types" and mapped their entire life to always be upstanding citizens. It's just a shame that apparently, the average person was able to make better decisions.
I'm honestly just disgusted with both of them (Obama and McCain). Our choices seem to be crap and more crap. But what else can you expect from men (or women) with the arrogance to believe that they and they alone can responsibly make the decisions for an entire nation?
Just my two cents.