Obama’s revolving door and agri-chemical giants

[n2doc]

By: TIMOTHY P. CARNEY
Examiner Columnist
November 27, 2009

Candidate Barack Obama liked to assail “the special interests who dominate” Washington’s policymaking process, and the revolving door that corrupts government and enriches the well-connected. The Obamas also talk up farmers markets, the ideas of “slow food” and small agriculture — even planting a vegetable garden on the White House lawn.

But the president has governed quite differently in the realm of agriculture, showing a pattern of favoritism towards industrial farming and agri-chemical giants such as Monsanto. And if more evidence was needed that Obama’s anti- lobbyist, anti-revolving door rhetoric was mostly smoke, the president’s moves in agriculture provide it.

Most recently, Obama showed his agri-chemical colors with his nomination of Isi Siddiqui as the chief agricultural negotiator at the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. If confirmed, this would be Siddiqui’s second spin through the revolving door.

After 28 years at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, he entered the Clinton Administration. There he served in the Agricultural Marketing Service before spending four years as the senior trade advisor to Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman.

Then Siddiqui cashed out. In 2002, he became a lobbyist for CropLife America, the lobbying group for pesticide and herbicide manufacturers.

Siddiqui avoids any clash with the executive order restricting lobbyists in Obama administration posts because he last registered as a lobbyist in 2004. Currently, however, he serves as CropLife’s “vice president for science and regulatory affairs.”

more:
http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Timothy_Carney/Obamas-revolving-door-and-agri-chemical-giants-74028967.html

[debbierlus]

1. Kick

[SemiCharmedQuark]

2. Why post this RW jerk's crap on DU?

Don't give him the glory of hits. There are plenty of legitimate sources for this story.

And he *is* a RWer. Here's a lovely piece of his:

"The Left's culture war, and big government as a weapon" wherein he complains that Obama is trying to mandate abortion funding and people are forcing the poor churches to support gay marriage.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/The-Lefts-culture-war-and-big-government-as-a-weapon-69682547.html