Straight Talk By Lobbyists

Matt Duss notes that Randy Scheunemann has a background as a lobbyist for the government of Georgia (the foreign country, not the state), the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, etc. To be fair to Scheunemann, though, this really seems to me a case where someone gets lobbying work because his sincere convictions (in favor of a more confrontational policy toward Iraq and Russia and basically everywhere) happen to line up with someone's lobbying agenda.

It'd be like if Big Train started giving me money (which, frankly, they should) rather than like the highway lobby hiring me and then suddenly all my opinions change.

Comments

There's only so much lobbying work to go around though. As such, some people don't get their pick.

Posted by BCM | April 30, 2008 2:58 PM

Now for a related topic The Atlantic - especially Ambinder - don't want to discuss. Another member of McCain's staff - his Hispanic outreach director - is a former cabinet-level official in the Mexican government. He holds dual citizenship and he's appeared on countless cable shows promoting Mexico's agenda. Presumably when he started working directly with VicenteFox he pledged an oath to the Mexican government. And, now he's representing McCain to U.S. voters.

And, Ambinder was present when McCain was asked about this by an audience member (youtube.com/watch?v=9KSzu_lgaX8). Not only did he not discuss all the key facts, and not only did he not ask a better follow-up question, but he's shown no inclination to do so in the intervening months.

Posted by TLB | April 30, 2008 3:14 PM

Matt, are you gonna let Ambinder start callings himself "The Atlantic's Boldest" during a month in which he stopped allowing reader comments because too many of them called him on his clear partisanship and kept saying, "Fire Ambinder Now"?

I don't see how you can stand for this.

Clearly you, Mr. Yglesias, are The Atlantic's Boldest.

And yes, Ambinder is a hack in the bag for the Clinton campaign who should be fired.

Posted by Please Put it in Context | April 30, 2008 3:19 PM

McCain is starting to face his serial flip-flops. Here's a video that shows what he said about Iraq "then" and "now".

Then: "We aren't talking about staying forever. It's an Islamic country."

Now: It's OK to be there for 100 years (or 1,000 or 10,000 years).

I think he's going to get bloodied on a whole raft of issues come the general election.

Posted by LFC | April 30, 2008 3:22 PM

Wait, does someone think Yglesias is bold for having posted about wanting to get a pie in the face and then suddenly deleting the post?

Uh, not bold. Weak. Pathetic.

But he still rocks next to Ambinder, who is a joke among jokes.

How Ambinder call himself bold while being afraid of your own readers? Ambinder is starting to sound like the Iraqi Information Minister. You can't believe anything he writes.

Posted by Valerie Wilson's War | April 30, 2008 3:23 PM

Uh Valerie's War would that be the post about a pie in the face that appears right after this one?

Posted by Eric k | April 30, 2008 3:32 PM

Matt, don't spend any of your Big Train money quite yet. Big Train hasn't wanted to carry passengers for the last 50 years. Freight's always been the moneymaker. It's interesting that railroads may become the default hauler for freight and passengers again once gas goes to $10 a gallon, but Big Train won't want to share the road with Amtrak.

Posted by Primigenius | April 30, 2008 4:21 PM

Big Children is where the money is. Or maybe Big Needle Exchange

Posted by Matt | April 30, 2008 5:34 PM

MattY has already done a product placement, now he just needs to ask for the money.

Posted by TLB | April 30, 2008 6:25 PM

Dude, Big Train has been dead for 60 years.

The Nats could still use him in the rotation, though.

Posted by low-tech cyclist | April 30, 2008 10:14 PM