As J. Clifford noted back in February of 2008, John McCain has a lobbyist problem. His campaign is full of lobbyists, and they’re not lobbyists for bunnies, kitties, peace, love and happiness. Rick Davis, the campaign manager for McCain 2008, is a lobbyist for telecommunications corporations Verizon and SBC. Charles Black, the top political advisor to John McCain’s campaign, is a lobbyist for telecommunications corporation AT&T. Tom Loeffler, the top fundraiser for John McCain in 2008, is also a lobbyist for telecommunications corporation AT&T. Funny thing, but lately John McCain has been standing up for the right of telecommunications corporations not to be taken to court when they break the law by violating Americans’ rights. That’s just a coincidence, and I’m a harmonica-playing grasshopper.

Newsweek broke the news this week (see, that’s why they call it Newsweek) that John McCain’s official Convention Chair, Doug Goodyear, is also a lobbyist. He’s not just any lobbyist, either; he’s CEO of DCI, a lobbying corporation that has promoted the interests of the autocratic military regime in Myanmar (nee Burma). In exchange for loads of cash, Goodyear used DCI to instigate a public relations campaign denying the abuses of the Myanmar junta and arguing for special favors for the brutes.

Now, in exchange for loads of cash, Goodyear was put to work instigating a public relations spectacle denying the problems with a McCain presidential candidacy, replacing it with a fawning hagiography instead.

Boy, those corporate lobbyists without a moral compass sure do come in handy for John McCain.

(Source: Newsweek, May 18 2008 issue)