Obama picks lobbyist for deputy defense secretary

[saracat]

http://www.star-telegram.com/238/story/1132707.html

Obama picks lobbyist for deputy defense secretary



By RITA BEAMISH and ANNE GEARAN
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama appointed a defense contractor’s lobbyist Thursday to become the No. 2 official at the Defense Department, acknowledging that his choice appeared to break with his self-imposed rules to keep lobbyists at arm’s length.

William J. Lynn III, Obama’s choice for deputy defense secretary, is a former Pentagon official who now is senior vice president for government operations at Raytheon Co. Lynn hasn’t been a registered lobbyist since July, meaning that he can’t personally lobby Congress or the White House.

In the first three months of 2008, his lobbying team reported spending $1.15 million to influence issues including missiles, sensors and radar, advanced technology programs and intelligence funding.

Obama has vowed that no political appointees in his administration would be permitted to work on areas that "directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years."

His transition team, which voluntarily disclosed Lynn’s lobbying activities, said Lynn’s talents made him worth the apparent exception to the spirit of Obama’s anti-lobbyist policy. It said it will work with Lynn to maintain Obama’s high ethics standards.

"Because Mr. Lynn came so highly recommended from experts across the political spectrum, the president-elect felt it was critical that he fill this position," Obama’s spokesman Tommy Vietor said.

[babylonsister]

1. "Former" lobbyist. You left out a word surprisingly. NOT. nt

[saracat]

2. Not my headline. Headline is original. I just posted the story as is.

[Soylent Brice]

3. i feel like i just saw daddy hit mommy

:hide:


j/k

[New Earth]

6. lolz

[ChiciB1]

59. Looks Like The Long Knives Are At It AGAIN!! What A Shame... Some Here

are less forgiving than others. Since I'm a LIBERAL, I still stand my ground and I can FORGIVE!

[dionysus]

5. you're not suggesting a possible... trend are you?

:rofl:

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Beacool]

65. Blame the messenger...............

:eyes:

Nice kitty...............

}(

[Name removed]

4. Deleted sub-thread

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[sniffa]

7. HILLARY WOULD NEVER HAVE DONE THIS

Edwards would never have the chance to do this.

[dionysus]

9. oh snap

:spray:

[salguine]

12. That just made me blow my tea out of my nose. Hillary Clinton is as marinated

in special-interest money as any Republican you care to name. So was Bill. Gimme a damn break.

[sniffa]

13. PRIMARIES ARE OVER HATER

[salguine]

15. What has that got to do with anything? Are you saying she isn't?

[dionysus]

17. arcasmsay

[salguine]

26. .

[salguine]

27. Sorry—Arcasmsay doesn't necessarily

pick up well in a print-only environment, especially one where a lot of people would deliver that comment without a scrap of arcasmsay.

[AtomicKitten]

16. *snort*

[Genevieve]

32. Lol!

:spank: :thumbsup:

[Coexist]

47. !

[crimsonblue]

50. Edwards would never have the chance to do this bc he sleeps around

and he got caught. Had he won the nomination, then we would have President Grandpa and VP Moose Bitch.

[ChiciB1]

62. C'Mon Now... FDR, JKF, MLK, RFK... How Many More??? n/t

[SuperTrouper]

8. McCain is gonna be mad! He hates lobbyists

[geek tragedy]

10. Did you read this at CHF? Say hi to

Tellurian et al.

[saracat]

11. Nope .Link given.

[DevonRex]

21. You might find this link interesting.

http://capitolhillforum.com/topic/1085889/1/

[Autumn]

22. Does that make the article

a lie?

[DevonRex]

23. It answers the poster's question.

[Autumn]

24. And you know for a fact

that is where she linked it from? Just asking.

[saracat]

28. So what? The Link is the STAR Telegram.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[dionysus]

38. [gomer pyle ]surprise surprise [/gomer pyle]

[Marrah_G]

67. You are better then this- don't get dragged into rehashing the primaries

Already in this thread people are being bashed unfairly with the puma stick by the same bullies who did it in the primaries.

[leftstreet]

14. Hmm. "..talents made him worth the apparent exception.."

Looks like his 'talent' as a lobbyist was in selling the govt war toys.

Great.

:eyes:

[Autumn]

18. Humm well I guess we will

see what happens. The quote from Bill Buzenberg, executive director of the Center for Public Integrity is very interesting.

[IndianaGreen]

19. Bill Lynn is a former DOD Comptroller, the top accountant in Pentagon

This is a top-notch appointment, the sweeter considering that Lynn replaces Gordon England, a Rumsfeld flunky.

[democrat2thecore]

20. I am surprised you would think this is a "top-notch" appointment

With your avatar, I'll be honest, I'm surprised at your post. Karl Marx and Raytheon employees? Karl Marx and bought and paid for government?

This pick is not "CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN"

People, wake-up, and pressure Obama! He's being allowed to get away with this crap because everybody is busy making excuses for him because they don't want their own dreams dashed! He even told us on the campaign trail to "remind him" and to keep the pressure on him because he said he's not perfect. WELL?????? Hello, Barack? I'm reminding you!

[LWolf]

25. No surprise. nt

[saltpoint]

30. Your anti-Obama campaign continues.

Quite a damn few of the rest of us want him to succeed.

[Genevieve]

34. What you said. .eom

[saltpoint]

35. Hi, Genevieve. Damn good to see ya knockin' around these boards

tonight.

I'm counting the hours before the 20th. I keep looking at the calendar and the clock, and then the calendar again, and then the clock again, waiting...

This could be the longest week of my life!

Hope all's well your way. Happy 2009.

[Genevieve]

36. It's good to see you too!

Happy New Year's, Old Crusoe :hi: :fistbump:

[saracat]

40. I want him to succeed. He wasn't my original choice but he is president and I want him to succeed.

The primaries are over and we have a PE. But we have the right to post articles about appointments and to criticize those appoinyments if we wish. It is our obligation to hold all our politicians accountable.

[Jennicut]

33. Why do certain people come here to stir up crap. Sigh. Its not legitimate

criticisms of Obama either, its out of pure hatred. If this guy lobbying for crap and this is the same old politics at work, fine criticize that. But this stuff by certain posters is not about legitimate concerns, its not about anything but sour grapes.


edited because I said a lot of the word crap so I changed it.

[saracat]

41. This is a legitimate news article. Are you saying it shouldn't be posted?

[Occam Bandage]

45. I entirely agree with you, and I'm usually one of "The Taliban Silencer McCarthy Locksteppers."

This is a reasonable concern, your dubious posts in the past notwithstanding.

[Name removed]

57. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Marrah_G]

68. Why is it not legitimate to discuss?

It's a news article.

If you have an opinion on the pick why not talk about that, instead of attacking Sara and falsely accusing her of things.

[Hutzpa]

37. .

[dionysus]

39. ROFL

:rofl:

[Tarheel_Dem]

51. ROTFLMBAO! You owe me a keyboard dammit!

:spray:

[firedupdem]

53. I pm'd you! n/t

[Cali_Democrat]

42. It's not Obama's fault that John Edwards screwed Rielle Hunter

I know you're mad but, honey, you need to get over it.

I don't know why you're taking your anger out on Obama.

[DevonRex]

43. .

:rofl:

[saracat]

46. I haven't made any statement regarding this. This is just a news article!

What has it got to do with Edwards?

[dionysus]

48. the tangled webs one weaves and all that...

:rofl:

[ChiciB1]

60. Ya Know... While I LOVED Bobby & Cried Crocodile Tears... Seems To Me That

you have forgotten some of HIS escapades! None of which I held against him! And BEFORE you say it... HE TOO ran for POTUS knowing he had "fooled' around!

[Tarheel_Dem]

52. And you owe me a new monitor!

:spray:

:rofl:

[firedupdem]

54. LOL!!!!

:rofl:

[Beacool]

58. Why not?

I thought that he was there videotaping the tryst and selling the video to the Enquirer.

:eyes:

[Occam Bandage]

44. I think there has to have been an acceptable non-compromised choice. nt

[NYC_SKP]

49. Good. That's one less lobbyist out there, well, lobbying. n/t

[saracat]

64. Of course it is one more lobbyist (cough) closer to the WH too. Unfortunately it cuts both ways .

[NYC_SKP]

66. The relationship will now have Obama as their master in this instance.

An improvement, for what it's worth.

[Name removed]

55. Deleted sub-thread

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[anonymous171]

56. OH YOU!!

:rofl: :eyes:

[brentspeak]

61. "Hey! Let's attack the OP. That will make the story go away."

Apparently, the Bush people won't be going away after all.

[sniffa]

63. It's worth a shot just for the exercise alone