[url]http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/03/john_ashcroft_o.html[/url]
[QUOTE]Monday, 5 March 2007 John Ashcroft Officially for Sale [B]Topic:[/B] [URL="http://blog.wired.com/music/people/index.html"]People[/URL] [IMG]http://blog.wired.com/photos/uncategorized/ashcroft.jpg[/IMG] Former Attorney General John Ashcrosft has joined former RIAA chief Hilary Rosen in lobbying Washington about satellite radio, but unlike her path to XM, which makes some degree of [URL="http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,71338-0.html"]sense[/URL], his was a bit windier, belying a certain flip-floppiness on the proposed XM/Sirius merger. After the merger plan was announced, Ashcroft contacted XM and offered them the lobbying services of his firm, [URL="http://www.ashcroftgroupllc.com/"]The Ashcroft Group LLC[/URL], ostensibly to help them get the merger approved by Washington. XM didn't want his help, so he made a quick about-face to work for the opposition.[URL="http://www.nab.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home"] [/URL] Following Ashcroft's rejection by XM, the National Association of Broadcasters ([URL="http://www.nab.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home"]NAB[/URL]) approached him for help with their lobbying efforts [I]against[/I] the merger, and he accepted. As part of his services, he sent a harsh letter to current Attorny General Alberto Gonzalez "blasting the proposed merger," [URL="http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117297131783726186-rYpxbXcPXZKaTLfboJDL1_Heq98_20070311.html?mod=blogs"]according[/URL] to the Wall Street Journal. It's fairly obvious that Washington lobbyists are for sale (it basically is their job description), but it's still a little shocking to see this sort of thing from someone who was recently the head of the U.S. Justice Department... "[URL="http://www.ifilm.com/video/2424640"]Let the eagle soar[/URL]... and if he someone pays him enough, let the eagle quickly reverse his flight pattern." [I](on [URL="http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117297131783726186-rYpxbXcPXZKaTLfboJDL1_Heq98_20070311.html?mod=blogs"]WSJ[/URL]; via [URL="http://feeds.engadget.com/%7Er/weblogsinc/engadget/%7E3/99486858/"]engadget[/URL]; AP image from [URL="http://members.macconnect.com/users/t/tnolen/T&A.html"]Thomas G. Nolen[/URL])[/I]
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