L. Fletcher Prouty [played by D.Sutherland in movie JFK] wrote The Secret Team in the 1970’s outlining just this scenario. Reading it will preclude doing repetitive spadework. The nuggets are there to be used.

Charlie Black, who serves as McCain’s chief political adviser, “is chairman of one of Washington’s lobbying powerhouses, BKSH and Associates, which has represented AT&T, Alcoa, JPMorgan and U.S. Airways.” Though he is currently playing a prominent role in the McCain campaign, Black “is still being paid by his firm.”

On Friday, Black told the National Journal that he doesn’t think his continued lobbying is a problem for the anti-lobbying image of his “client,” John McCain:

“It strikes me that a lot of coders have a somewhat detached view of the world, and it’s reasonable to assume that Hans might not even have stopped to think about how things looked,” said Rick Moen, a local area network consultant in Menlo Park.

considering that inter alia “things” include soaked floorboards and a notable lack of interest in the search for his missing wife.

Make suitable changes at “coders” and “Hans” and you’ve got a pretty good if mild commentary on people who thought McCain, e.g., should be running for President.

In any event, Sturgeon reportedly has insisted that whatever his crimes, he had nothing to do with Nina’s disappearance. Wired quoted him as saying that, in the Reiser case, he is red herring, or rather, he said, “a red Sturgeon.”

Yes, he did. He signaled to the FCC that this deal was important to him, and he wanted the decision made quickly. In Washington, that can only mean he wanted a “yes” decision. Had he wanted a “no” decision, he would have written them a letter telling them to drag their feet as much as possible.