Saturday, January 12, 2013

Hillary Clinton; Secretary of State or Secretary of Sales?

While it's long been received truth that the US government primarily governs in the interests and at the pleasure of the corporate elite, you might be surprised at how explicit the relationship between government and big business is at the highest levels.

Hillary Clinton, the most traveled Secretary of State in history, does much of that traveling on behalf of corporate interests she is lobbying for. According to Bloomberg BusinessWeek  Clinton lobbies foreign governments around the world on behalf of US corporations like Westinghouse, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing.

The dynamics of that lobbying relationship aren't hard to discern. If the government of a  foreign country needs something from the US, something like foreign aid, back-up in a squabble with a neighbor, or access to the American market, there is an obvious quid pro quo.

Sign a multi-billion contract for Dreamliners or fighter jets or a new nuke plant, and Sam's your uncle. Otherwise, forget about it.

All those demands on her time from the lobbying activities may have caused Clinton to spread herself a little thin. That could explain the complete disarray in America's Syria policy. It could also explain why she dropped the ball on the Benghazi file.

But at least we know Hillary will be well looked after by the corporate clients she has been serving as Secretary of Sales when she retires.

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