John Ashcroft is, if nothing else, a man of integrity. If you don't believe it, just ask him. In the wake of the Abramoff lobbying scandal, the former Attorney General has set up a new K-Street firm called the Ashcroft Group, and the money is already rolling in. Since setting up shop in September, AG already boasts some twenty-one clients.Ashcroft told the Washington Post that his experience in cracking down on corporate corruption, his keen insider experience fighting the war on terror ("I have been at the heart of the war on terror") and his personal integrity make him uniquely qualified to head up a high-powered lobbying firm in the post-9/11 era.
"Clients would call in an individual who has a reputation for the highest level of integrity," Ashcroft crowed.
In a business that charges fees as high as $900 an hour, plus raking in weekly speaking fees of $75,000, Ashcroft is feeling pretty flush since leaving the Justice Department.
WP notes that before the 9/11 attacks, there were few commercial opportunities at the Justice Department. Since then, the department has become a major clearinghouse for large contracts related to homeland security.
"I've been stunned at how good people have been to me," Ashcroft said. "And that kindness has been reflected in business opportunities. It's been gratifying, and I'm earning significant multiples of what I've ever earned before."
Yes, the war on terror has been a great economic boon to well-connected individuals associated with selected contractors and influence peddlers. Now we have two big-money lobbying links here in the Ozarks - our anointed favorite son John, and Roy Blunt's lovely wife, Abigail. I know I feel blessed.
Oh, and if you worry that our man John is forgetting his Christian roots, rest assured that he still holds the position of visiting law professor at Regent University, a Christian university founded by Pat Robertson.
As Huffington Post says, Let the Earnings Soar!
1 comment:
What was that thing about the camel and the eye of the needle? Angel, you know you are "howling at the moon." As a Republican talking head said tonight, when addressing the penchant of the Democratic Party for running off viable candidates, "all politics are local...National issues don't matter in congressional elections." He is right! The sad truth is that we are living through the last days of the "American Empire." We cannot have a "Democacy" when 98% of congressional elections are a "sure thing" for the incumbent. Only Soviet Premiers could claim such numbers. At least the end will come mercifully soon as the fascists in power bankrupt us in endless wars. It took the Germans two generations to restore their democracy after the public blindly gave the fascists power. Let us hope that my grandchildren may again see freedom near the end of their lives, that is if the air and water have not been made so hot and poisoned that freedom is irrelevant.
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