AN INCOMPLETE STORY ON CINDY MCCAIN

The Sept. 12 front-page story "A Tangled Story of Addiction," about
Cindy McCain's victory over her dependence on prescription
painkillers, was "tangled" because it left out important facts that
would have helped readers make a fair judgment about her behavior 16
years ago and gave a negative impression of a courageous struggle.

The Post failed to report or make clear that:

. She voluntarily cooperated with the Drug Enforcement
Administration and, after she conquered the addiction, obtained
additional help at her own expense. Her conduct in doing so
persuaded the U.S. attorney's office in Phoenix to agree to
diversion to a treatment program without criminal charges.

. Tom Gosinski never served a wrongful-termination lawsuit on Mrs.
McCain, presumably because he had no evidence to support any of his
varied allegations against Mrs McCain. As the story noted, Mr.
Gosinski and his lawyer wrote a letter to Mrs McCain saying that for
$250,000, they would not pursue the complaint.

. Mrs. McCain courageously made the allegations public to defeat
the attempted shakedown. The sunshine from her public disclosure of
the false allegations exposed and defeated the attempted extortion by
Mr. Gosinski.

Readers should remember that with the help of her parents and before
any investigation began, Mrs McCain whipped the addiction on her own
despite intolerable pain caused by a serious medical problem.

Democrats have been shopping Tom Gosinski and his story about Mrs.
McCain to the media and the blogosphere for weeks. It is a disgrace
that The Post chose to publish this article. But it appears to be
open season on mothers and women who try to serve their country.

JOHN M. DOWD

Washington

The writer, a lawyer with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, represented
Sen. John McCain and Cindy McCain.