The U.S. Senate approved William Lynn, a former Raytheon Co lobbyist, to be deputy secretary of defense after he received a special White House waiver from strict new rules meant to close a “revolving door” between government and big business.
The White House Office of Management and Budget gave Lynn a waiver to further “the public interest.”
I guess in the current White House something is unethical only when your political enemies do it. When you do it, it’s in “the public interest.”
But, hey, it’s not all bad!
Lynn has said he will steer clear for a year of decisions involving six big arms programs on which he lobbied on behalf of Raytheon.
Oh, well, that just makes the hypocrisy okey-dokey!
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Another interpretation is that things look a lot easier when you’re on the outside looking in that when you’re on the inside looking out.
Finding people who have genuine expertise or appear to have genuine expertise in any field who aren’t trying to profit by that knowledge is a tall order. Generally, it means the people you’ll recruit will be scholars who are studying the field (which IMO is frequently just the appearance of expertise), people who are working in the field (corporate influence, GASP!), or lobbyists.
I understand what you’re saying but Obama made it a platform of his campaign that there wouldn’t be Washington business-as-usual and lobbyists have no place in his Administration.
Then he appoints a lobbyist to the #2 seat at the Pentagon in violation of the rules barring a lobbyist from serving for two years.
So, my questions is this: Which is it? Are lobbyists useful or are they the bane of the political system?
I’d have no problem with this appointment if Obama hadn’t made the issue his moral high ground over his Republican opponents.
The bashing of lobbyists is a time-honored way for politicians to pose as if they’re anti-corruption and honorable. It’s all for show. Most lobbyists are perfectly decent, reasonable professionals, practicing a trade that is specifically protected by the 1st amendment. They aren’t just a “necessary evil,” they’re necessary period, and for the most part are a very good thing.
But they’re also only rarely in the public eye, and honestly, they rarely have opportunity or desire to defend themselves. There’s no point. Everyone actually in the system recognizes that lobbyists aren’t evil, but that it makes for good posturing.
And Obama? Well like I’ve always said, he’s just another politician. Because he is.
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