Like Bush, McCain has a revolving door policy for lobbyists Advisors -- both for his Senate office and his campaign.
BUSH:
At Least 150 Senior Bush Administration Officials Went To K Street Through November 2007. Politico reported, "From the beginning, the Bush White House created controversy by tapping scores of industry lobbyists to staff official positions. Now approaching its final days, the administration might have produced even more lobbyists than it took in. At least 150 senior Bush administration officials have traded their government service badges for K Street's pinstripes. In its early years, the administration was estimated to have hired about 100 lobbyists."1
MCCAIN:
Watchdog Group: Scheunemann's Dual Role Raises Questions. "Craig Holman, the governmental affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization, said Mr. Scheunemann's dual role -- sometimes advising Mr. McCain as a candidate, and sometimes advising private clients on their interactions with him as a senator -- raised potential red flags. 'This is a serious revolving door problem: a person who keeps fluctuating between being a lobbyist, and advising candidates,' Mr. Holman said."2
At Least 20 Former McCain Congressional Staffers Passed Through the "Revolving Door." "Mother Jones conducted a review of lobbying disclosure forms and publicly available information at OpenSecrets.org and Legistorm.com. The records show that since the Keating Five scandal, which by McCain's own account turned the Arizona senator into a crusader for reform, at least 20 McCain staffers-working for McCain's personal Senate office or for one of the committees he has chaired-either came to McCain's employ from a lobby shop or joined one after leaving the congressional payroll."3
McCain Staffer-Turned Lobbyist-Turned McCain Senate Chief of Staff Mark Buse Lobbied for Exxon. In early 2008, McCain hired as his Senate chief of staff Mark Buse, who had served as McCain's staff director on the Commerce Committee "in the late 1990s and early 2000s," and who was until fall 2007 "a lobbyist for ML Strategies." From 2006 until 2007, Buse lobbied the federal government on behalf of Exxon Mobil, earning his firm $560,000 in lobbying fees from the oil giant. Buse lobbied on issues pertaining to renewable fuels, the energy savings act, climate stewardship act, climate change, cap & trade, and S.3711, the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act.4
Despite Decrying Lobbyist Influence, McCain's Closest Campaign Advisers Are Lobbyists. "For years, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has railed against lobbyists and the influence of 'special interests' in Washington, touting on his campaign Web site his fight against 'the "revolving door" by which lawmakers and other influential officials leave their posts and become lobbyists for the special interests they have aided.' But when McCain huddled with his closest advisers at his rustic Arizona cabin last weekend to map out his presidential campaign, virtually every one was part of the Washington lobbying culture he has long decried. His campaign manager, Rick Davis, co-founded a lobbying firm whose clients have included Verizon and SBC Telecommunications. His chief political adviser, Charles R. Black Jr., is chairman of one of Washington's lobbying powerhouses, BKSH and Associates, which has represented AT&T, Alcoa, JPMorgan and U.S. Airways. Senior advisers Steve Schmidt and Mark McKinnon work for firms that have lobbied for Land O' Lakes, UST Public Affairs, Dell and Fannie Mae." [Washington Post, 2/22/08]5
[2] New York Times, 8/14/08
[3] Mother Jones, 5/27/08
[4] ML Strategies/Exxon Lobbying Disclosures, Senate Office of Public Records; Washington Post, 2/22/08
[5] Washington Post, 2/22/08
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