John McCain's "Uber-Lobbyist" and His Foreign Clients

May 22, 2008 -- The Washington Post reveals the cozy relationship between John McCain and the Washington lobbyists he once railed against. Despite his rhetoric about reducing the role of lobbyists in Washington, McCain's inner circle is dominated by lobbyists like Charlie Black, who the Post describes as a "longtime uber-lobbyist" and "a pioneer of the revolving door between campaign consulting and lobbying."

John McCain: Photo by Chris Denbow (CC)

Despite Black's claims that his personal policy is to never lobby the candidates he has worked for, the Post highlights meetings Black set up between McCain and his clients and outlines Black's efforts to help some of the world's most notorious dictators and tyrants "burnish their reputations" in Washington. The following are excerpts of today's story:

McCain Adviser's Work As Lobbyist Criticized
Foreign Clients Included Notorious Rulers
By Michael D. Shear and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, May 22, 2008; A01

"Longtime uber-lobbyist Charles R. Black Jr. is John McCain's man in Washington, a political maestro who is hoping to guide his friend, the senator from Arizona, to the presidency this November. But for half a decade in the 1980s, Black was also Jonas Savimbi's man in the capital city. His lobbying firm received millions from the brutal Angolan guerrilla leader and took advantage of Black's contacts in Congress and the White House...

"Then in his 30s, Black already had established himself as a pioneer of the revolving door between campaign consulting and lobbying, having been a senior adviser on President Ronald Reagan's reelection campaign before returning to K Street. And his clients, as often as not, were foreign leaders eager to burnish their reputations... The lobbying shop represented Bethlehem Steel, the Tobacco Institute and the government of the Philippines. The political consulting firm helped elect a slew of lawmakers -- including Sens. Phil Gramm, Jesse Helms, Charles McC. Mathias Jr., Arlen Specter, Paula Hawkins and David F. Durenberger -- who worked on legislation that directly impacted the firm's clients...

"McCain 'portrays himself as Mr. Clean, and then he has all these lobbyists around him who are connected to a lot of not-so-clean people,' said Paul C. Light, a professor of public service at New York University. 'One of the things Obama will do is portray him as the creature of Washington, and what could be more Washington-esque than having a dictator as a client?'"

To view the full article, click here.

Source: DNC

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