Obama-don't you get it-you can't rail against lobbyist and then waiver Lynn in-America hates you for that-and you never gave an explanation!!

Lynn Gets Waiver from Obama Lobbyist Rules

by William Matthews

WASHINGTON - 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.

Questions arose about Lynn's suitability after President Barack Obama imposed the rules Jan. 21 to keep lobbyists out of top government posts. Lynn was a vice president and lobbyist for defense giant Raytheon.

Hours before the Office of Management and Budget decision, four government watchdog organizations urged the Senate Armed Services Committee to reject Lynn for the No. 2 post at the Pentagon.

Even top Obama aides conceded Lynn's appointment would require a waiver from new rules that prohibit lobbyists from serving in agencies they have lobbied in the previous two years.

Lynn was senior vice president for government operations and strategy at the defense giant Raytheon and a registered Raytheon lobbyist until July.

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.

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."

The Armed Services Committee will still insist that Lynn "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."

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."
McCain said he applauded Obama's more stringent ethics rules, and "had hoped he would not find it necessary to waive them so soon."

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.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/01/27-2