Via Huffington Post we have this little gem about the fine art of backscratching.
From lobbying to policymaking:
Before coming to the White House, Cooney worked as lobbyist at the American Petroleum Institute, which is the chief representative of the oil and gas industry.
From policymaking to industry:
Cooney, most recently the chief of staff to President Bush's Council on Environmental Quality, left [for a post at Exxon] amid claims by critics that he edited reports on global warming to downplay concerns raised by the scientific community.
And I'm sure that when the jig is up at Exxon, there'll be a nice desk waiting for him once again on K Street to complete the circle. Industry to lobbying.
Now I've said this before and I'll say it again: I've got absolutely no problem with a guy like Cooney doing what he has to do to get by. In fact, his career path really does make a lot of sense. He may or may not be a total scumbag, but that it pretty much irrelevant. What I simply cannot tolerate is the Republican politicians who allow this personnel recycling to happen. These guys just don't care that policy these days is of, by and for Corporate America. They don't even bother to make it look otherwise.
Not only does the GOP allow it to happen, it is encouraged! The current environment is what Tom DeLay has been working for years to establish. The simple fact is that stoking this incestuous and clearly corrupt circle of influence has become the defining characteristic of the modern Republican party. They are in government to get themselves and their friends extremely rich. And while they're at it, they cut their own taxes for good measure.
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