Bush Adviser Apologizes Over Lobbying for Microsoft nytimes.com
As well he should. Maybe somebody told Ralph about Bill's estimate of the time effectiveness of going to church or something.
Ralph Reed, a senior consultant to Gov. George W. Bush's presidential campaign, apologized today for lobbying the governor on behalf of the Microsoft Corporation and promised not to lobby him again on behalf of Microsoft or anyone else.
"It is an error that we regret," said a statement issued by Mr. Reed's office at Century Strategies, the lobbying and political consulting firm he heads.
The Bush campaign, obviously irritated to learn that one of its senior consultants was also lobbying the campaign behind the scenes, said Mr. Reed "made the right decision," adding, "We're pleased that he will cease his effort to lobby the governor on this issue."
A campaign official said the governor had not known that Mr. Reed's organization was lobbying him.
It's always good to see Microsoft's "world class" lobbying efforts in the news, he notes dryly. It is left for the reader to decide who is the biggest clown in this little fandango. My nomination goes to the usual suspect, PR flack Mark Murray:
This evening, Microsoft spokesman Mark Murray, responding to the Century Strategies statement, said: "We think this is a fine resolution to the issue involving Century Strategies and the Bush campaign. We will continue to work with Century Strategies and other firms, both Democratic and Republican, to respond to attacks by competitors and to insure that our viewpoint is heard."
Cheers, Dan. |
