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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'>Barack Obama is a hypocrite of the first order. He reneges on his own
goddamned rule in order to get a former Raytheon executive at DoD. What more
can we expect from The Most Holy who presides over a war based economy? Obama
is also a war monger as evidenced by his allowing a <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
military drone to shoot missiles into <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region> which killed 20 civilians.
Change we can believe in? Yeah, right. Tell me another one. <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'>Explain these decisions Obama supporters………………………….or
is it too soon to hold His Holiness’ feet to the fire??<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'>Kris<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'><a href="http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/01/27-2">http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/01/27-2</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=1 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-style:italic'>Published on Tuesday, January 27,
2009 by Federal Times<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Lynn</span></font></b></st1:place></st1:City><b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'> Gets Waiver from Obama
Lobbyist Rules <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=author><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>by William Matthews<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>WASHINGTON</span></font></st1:place></st1:State> -
The White House said Jan. 23 its tough new ethics rules won't apply to its
nominee for deputy Defense secretary, William Lynn. The decision clears the way
for a confirmation vote, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee
said.<br>
<br>
Questions arose about <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lynn</st1:place></st1:City>'s
suitability after President Barack Obama imposed the rules Jan. 21 to keep
lobbyists out of top government posts. <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lynn</st1:place></st1:City>
was a vice president and lobbyist for defense giant Raytheon.<br>
<br>
Hours before the Office of Management and Budget decision, four government
watchdog organizations urged the Senate Armed Services Committee to reject <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lynn</st1:place></st1:City> for the No. 2 post
at the Pentagon.<br>
<br>
Even top Obama aides conceded <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lynn</st1:place></st1:City>'s
appointment would require a waiver from new rules that prohibit lobbyists from
serving in agencies they have lobbied in the previous two years.<br>
<br>
<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lynn</st1:place></st1:City> was senior
vice president for government operations and strategy at the defense giant
Raytheon and a registered Raytheon lobbyist until July.<br>
<br>
His nomination "causes an impossible conflict," officials from four
organizations said in a letter to Sens. Carl Levin and John McCain, the
chairman and senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee.<br>
<br>
But in a late afternoon statement, Levin said the waiver to Obama's ethics
rules "has removed an obstacle to the confirmation of Bill Lynn to be
deputy secretary of defense."<br>
<br>
The Armed Services Committee will still insist that <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Lynn</st1:place></st1:City> "recuse himself for a period of a
year from any decisions involving his prior employer unless specifically
authorized to participate by an appropriate ethics official," Levin said.
"I support Mr. Lynn's nomination."<br>
<br>
McCain remained skeptical. "Before I can determine whether to support his
nomination," he said, "I intend to ask him to clarify for the record
what matters and decisions will require his recusal."<br>
McCain said he applauded Obama's more stringent ethics rules, and "had
hoped he would not find it necessary to waive them so soon."<br>
<br>
The watchdog organizations argued that waiving the new ethics rule is "a
frontal violation" of reforms intended to keep lobbyists out of top
government posts.<br>
<br>
But confirming him without a waiver would mean he must recuse himself from
matters affecting Raytheon. The fifth-largest defense company sells $18 billion
worth of missiles, radars, sensors, munitions, space systems and other
technology to the military and other government agencies annually.<br>
<br>
Sitting out decisions that involve Raytheon "would make it impossible for
[<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lynn</st1:place></st1:City>] to
effectively serve" as deputy Defense secretary, the four heads of watchdog
organizations said. They are the directors of the Project on Government
Oversight, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the Government
Accountability Project and the legislative representative of Public Citizen.<br>
<br>
In an effort to reduce the influence of special interests and restore the
public's faith in government, Obama proclaimed new ethics rules Jan. 21 that he
said are the toughest in history.<br>
<br>
"If you are a lobbyist entering my administration, you will not be able to
work on matters you lobbied on, or in the agencies you lobbied during the
previous two years," Obama said. "When you leave government, you will
not be able to lobby my administration for as long as I am president."<br>
<br>
Later, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama's ethics rules included a
provision for waivers if they are approved by the White House Counsel. He said <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lynn</st1:place></st1:City> "is superbly
qualified" for the deputy Defense secretary job.<br>
Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters he asked for an exception to be
made for <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lynn</st1:place></st1:City>
because he is the best candidate for the job.<br>
<br>
But the rising flap over <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lynn</st1:place></st1:City>
and lobbying has raised doubts on the Armed Services Committee.<br>
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lynn</st1:place></st1:City>
illustrates the "industry-government executive revolving door
phenomenon," in which industry executives take Pentagon jobs and are
perceived to benefit the companies they once worked for.<br>
<br>
"To be frank, the way DoD does business with defense contractors must
change because the status quo is unacceptable," McCaskill said. "In
my limited interaction with Mr. Lynn to date, I have not sensed a strong
commitment to this type of change."<br>
<br>
Even so, McCaskill said she would not object to <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Lynn</st1:place></st1:City>'s confirmation. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>copyright © 2009 Army Times Publishing Co<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
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