US Presidential candidate Senator John McCain has released an updated list of his top donors. It reveals that nearly a fifth of those who have brought in the largest amounts for him, more than $500,000 each, are lobbyists or work for firms that engage in lobbying.
One of those listed is a top oil lobbyist and Republican-insider, Jack Oliver III. Oliver, who is Chairman of Bryan Cave Strategies, was a strategist for Bush-Cheney ’04, and Bush for President.
In 2003, Time magazine called Oliver “Bush’s Brigadier of Bucks” when he managed the president’s $240 million re-election finance plan. Time called him “the man largely responsible for what is being heralded as the most formidable money machine in modern political history.” He is also a former deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee.
As well as being a Republican fund-raiser, Oliver is also a top oil lobbyist. According to the OpenSecrets database, Bryan Cave was paid some $190,000 last year to lobby on Shell’s behalf, with Oliver one of the account holders.
As politics and oil inter-mix once again, isn’t it time to Separate Oil and State in this election?
With an oil-lobbyist as a top donor and funder for McCain, can we seriously expect McCain to address and fix climate issues such as carbon emissions and the oil crisis?
~ http://blog.ourtask.org
Jack is not just any old oil-lobbist. Representing Shell, an Anglo-Dutch company with headquarters in London, his interest and efforts have not been American, or for America, or for the environment. His primary experience in buying policy favors are petro focused, at least since Shell sold it’s solar power operations in Dec. of 2007.
Imagine my surprise! I am flabergasted! Not my Johnny-boy, surely?
This Oil Change USA blog/web site needs to add “email this page” tabs…