Looks like Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is trying to use the NYT story to link McCain to the  "Republican culture of corruption."

In an  interview with National Journal  Dean charged that McCain "doesn't seem to really have an ethical compass. He doesn't seem to have an instinct about what is the right thing to do and what isn't the right thing to do."

Dean said who is likely to take the lead on negative messaging against McCain, emphasized other DNC talking points that McCain is more of the same.

"He [McCain] talks about change, and makes a big deal about not being like Bush when in fact he is Bush," said Dean. "He voted for the Bush tax cuts after saying he didn't, and he's been responsible for a $6 trillion national debt that our children are going to have to pay. He thinks we ought to stay in Iraq for 100 years. He thought it was great that the President vetoed health care for our kids under 18. This is four years of George Bush and I don't think the American people are going to buy it."