Pick Him- He's A Lobbyist!

Ed Gillespie was named as the new White House counselor today to replace Dan Bartlett. Gillespie is a partner in Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC, a lobbying firm, whose clients have many issues currently before the government. I'm sure that good ol' Ed is going to simply forget about his former associates and clients and tend to the needs of the average citizen now. Let's take a look at some of Ed's clients to see if there could be any conflicts of interest.

• Qualcomm Inc., which last week said it would seek help from a federal court and President Bush to overturn a ban on U.S. imports of new cell phones made with company's semiconductors. The U.S. International Trade Commission imposed the ban because the Qualcomm chips violated a patent held by Broadcom Corp. The ban is also a blow to service providers, including AT&T Inc. -- another Quinn Gillespie client -- which relies on Qualcomm's technology for the phones it sells.

• Amgen Inc. and Genentech, biotechnology drug makers that are fighting legislation that would allow generic drug companies to sell cheaper versions of their medicines.

• DaimlerChrysler AG, part of an auto industry trade group that is fighting efforts in Congress to raise fuel-economy standards.

• Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. hired Quinn Gillespie in April to lobby the federal government on their proposed merger. They need the approval of the Federal Communications Commission, which a decade ago granted each company a license on the condition that one could not acquire the other.

As to the White House reaction concerning his appointment "He will sever all ties as is required of anyone joining the White House staff," presidential spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore said. "He will not retain any financial stake in his old firm." But Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, stated "It's very disappointing that the president, given his lack of public support these days, has not reached out for someone more independent who has a better understanding of the needs of people."

Lobbyists and government. Not a very pretty relationship. K-Street is practically the next big thing when a politician leaves office and the lobbying firms welcome them with open arms. Lobbyists regularly roam the halls of Congress, pockets full of cash, getting bills passed that are only on the interest of one party- the business that is affected by the bill. The public interest has long been relegated to the side.