Democrats planning for new McCain attacks

WASHINGTON, April 10 (UPI) -- A four-month, $40 million media campaign is being readied by wealthy Democrats to attack Republican John McCain, the leader of the project says.

At its helm will be David Brock, a former right-wing investigative reporter known for his anti-Bill Clinton work in the 1990s.

The media, he said, has "fallen down on the job" when it comes to McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. Brock's most recent book is called "Free Ride: John McCain and the Media."

The planned campaign represents a shakeup in the top ranks of struggling independent Democratic groups with Brock directing what is expected to be the main vehicle for independent Democratic attacks on McCain, the Politico reported.

Brock gained notoriety in the early 1990s for articles written for The American Spectator, a conservative monthly, including one alleging former President Clinton used Arkansas state troopers to facilitate his philandering, a piece that led to a sexual harassment suit by Paula Jones,

Brock later apologized to Clinton and broke with the conservative movement.