A late breaking media story that will likely be a widely reported news item over the next two days: According to Newsweek magazine, a trust controlled by the spouse of presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain failed to make property tax payments for nearly four years.

Here is an excerpt of the magazine's account:

When you're poor, it can be hard to pay the bills. When you're rich, it's hard to keep track of all the bills that need paying. It's a lesson Cindy McCain learned the hard way when NEWSWEEK raised questions about an overdue property-tax bill on a La Jolla, Calif., property owned by a trust that she oversees. Mrs. McCain is a beer heiress with an estimated $100 million fortune and, along with her husband, she owns at least seven properties, including condos in California and Arizona.

Certainly not the type of news story any presidential campaign desires (or any campaign at that). Yet, it appears that the McCain trust has now paid all outstanding debts and is current in all payments.

End of story? This is an election year. Of course not.

The most partisan of supporters of Democratic nominee Barack Obama are pouncing on this non-issue, with leftist criticism ranging from John McCain being a "tax cheat" to not understanding the problems of Middle America. One leftwing blogger on an extremist website called Senator John McCain "unpatriotic" for the apparent property tax mishap, a tax oversight which was quickly rectified.

If the need arises to discuss this issue with your friends, especially those who are not dedicated followers of political news it is important to note these three important facts:

1. This is not a case of "tax cheating." Tax cheating is when a deliberate act of fraud is perpetuated on appropriate authorities. An example would be deliberate underreporting of income, claiming false exemptions, or creating fraudulent accounting gimmicks. That did not happen here; rather, it was a simple oversight that was immediately corrected.

2. Senator Obama should know all about tax cheating. Obama's endorsed candidate in the race for Minnesota's US Senator is Al Franken. According to the Washington Post:  "It appears as though there may be 11 more states and the District of Columbia in which Al Franken either failed to pay taxes, or failed to properly report his income." Will Senator Obama now repudiate his choice for US Senate? Will liberal news commentators and left-wing webloggers?

3.  The trust paid the owed taxes to San Diego County. Minor oversight. Case closed. End of story.

Furthermore, it should be noted that in the Al Franken situation, the total amount owed in unpaid taxes throughout 17 states (including California) and workers compensation costs totaled $70,000. No wonder Democrat Franken is becoming as appealing to Minnesotans as "The Love Guru" is to moviegoers. Will political leftists now demand that Franken end his campaign, since he obviously is unpatriotic, a tax cheat, and unable to identify with the concerns of Middle America? Sure, as soon as they're done demanding accountability from Obama supporting Congressmember Laura Richardson (D-Fault).  

For the McCain Trust, the figure was $6,744.42 in due property taxes. Which, again, was quickly paid after being brought to the attention of the trustees, as Newsweek reports.

This presidential election is going to be contentious. The political left has shown they will question Senator John McCain's patriotism, his commitment to American families, and his ethics and integrity. In the coming months, center-right bloggers must move to immediately counter the often false and hypocritical nonsense stemming from the left-wing noise machine.