McCain’s lobbyist albatross

MoveOn goes after Charlie Black’s Marcos/Savimbi/Mobutu connections.

Looks as if McCain’s lobbyist connections, and the connections of his lobbyists with some of the world’s worst bad guys, may be turning into an issue: a consummation devoutly to be wished. MoveOn has an ad, though I don’t see any indication it’s running anywhere but on YouTube:

A pretty good ad, but what Mobutu did to his subjects is called “murdering,” not just the morally neutral “killing,” and Jonas Savimbi wasn’t just a “rebel;” he was a terrorist. The oftener we can legitimately say “McCain” and “terrorist” in the same sentence, the better.

Author: Mark Kleiman

Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management and editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. Teaches about the methods of policy analysis about drug abuse control and crime control policy, working out the implications of two principles: that swift and certain sanctions don't have to be severe to be effective, and that well-designed threats usually don't have to be carried out. Books: Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken) When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment (Princeton, 2009; named one of the "books of the year" by The Economist Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results (Basic, 1993) Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control (Greenwood, 1989) UCLA Homepage Curriculum Vitae Contact: Markarkleiman-at-gmail.com