John McCain keeps saying he learned his lesson about doing favors after getting caught in the Keating Five scandal, but skeletons keep falling out of his closet.

Take this one. McCain helps an Arizona real estate baron land sweetheart deals with the government. McCain claims it's just helping out a constituent, something he would do for any Arizonan.

But developer Donald Diamond is a pretty plainspoken guy. He raises a lot of money for McCain and other pols who can help him:

Mr. Diamond is close to most of Arizona’s Congressional delegation and is candid about his expectations as a fund-raiser. “I want my money back, for Christ’s sake. Do you know how many cocktail parties I have to go to?”

Or try this one:

Mr. Diamond, for his part, said Mr. McCain had only done his job. “I think that is what Congress people are supposed to do for constituents,” he said. “When you have a big, significant businessman like myself, why wouldn’t you want to help move things along? What else would they do? They waste so much time with legislation.”

He said he often complained to Mr. McCain that he was “too straight” about refusing to provide federal help for Arizona businessmen. “I tell him, ‘You are an Arizona senator besides being the world senator. Loosen up, kid!’ ”

Sounds a lot like quid pro quo. "I want my money back." Just what favors is Diamond going to ask McCain if he becomes president?