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• Christy Hardin Smith: McCain's Cronies: Charlie Black And Big Tobacco  

McCain's decade of work on tobacco, one of the most significant efforts of his congressional career, has earned him enmity from the industry and from some fellow Republicans over the years. At the same time, public-health advocates have celebrated his support of tobacco regulation. But now, some antismoking activists are disappointed that the presumptive Republican nominee for president has backed off from the tobacco tax, which they consider key to improving public health....

The memo noted that among the Philip Morris representatives slated to attend a meeting with McCain was Charlie Black, who was a lobbyist for the tobacco company and is now McCain's senior campaign adviser.

In an interview, Black said McCain initially welcomed industry representatives to make their case in various ways and said the Arizona Republican wanted to strike a compromise that would satisfy the industry and public-health advocates....

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