John McCain once said:
The fact is if you want to drain the swamp, take the money away from the bigtime ... lobbyists, they lose their power and influence.
But that was then and this is now, because John McCain has named Doug Goodyear, the CEO of a consulting firm that "earned $3 million last year lobbying for ExxonMobil, General Motors and other clients" to manage this summer's GOP convention. It gets better:
Potentially more problematic: the firm was paid $348,000 in 2002 to represent Burma's military junta, which had been strongly condemned by the State Department for its human-rights record and remains in power today. Justice Department lobbying records show DCI pushed to "begin a dialogue of political reconciliation" with the regime. It also led a PR campaign to burnish the junta's image, drafting releases praising Burma's efforts to curb the drug trade and denouncing "falsehoods" by the Bush administration that the regime engaged in rape and other abuses.
Comedy. The man who will run the convention to name John McCain as the Republican nominee to carry out George Bush's third term, is a lobbyist who once defended an oppressive military regime by calling George Bush a liar.
It's at times like this that you realize how difficult it is to be a straight talking maverick.
Update: And now, Goodyear has resigned:
The public relations executive that Senator John McCain’s campaign tapped to run the Republican National Convention this summer resigned his post Saturday after a magazine reported that his firm had lobbied for the military junta that runs Myanmar. [...]
A McCain campaign official said that the campaign appreciated Mr. Goodyear’s timely resignation, and his work for the convention. The official said that there was no word yet on a successor.
"It’s obviously unfortunate,’’ the official said, "but we’ve just got to move on."
Maybe Jack Abramoff will get out of prison in time to take over...
[h/t to fhamme]