FOR SALE

I can't wait to see how the wingnut blogs try to spin this one...

But that wouldn't last. The ACU asked FedEx to pony up a couple million dollars for conservative lobbying expenses. FedEx balked, so two weeks later, the American Conservative Union switched sides, and now backs UPS.

In return for the $2 million, ACU offered a range of services that included: "Producing op-eds and articles written by ACU's Chairman David Keene and / or other members of the ACU's board of directors. (Note that Mr. Keene writes a weekly column that appears in The Hill.)"

The conservative group's remarkable demand -- black-and-white proof of the longtime Washington practice known as "pay for play" -- was contained in a private letter to FedEx that was provided to POLITICO.

The letter exposes the practice by some political interest groups of taking stands not for reasons of pure principle, as their members and supporters might assume, but also in part because a sponsor is paying big money.

It's an interesting look at how this process, usually played out behind closed doors, really works. For a price, a company can buy the loyalty of a conservative organization, its lobbying operation, and perhaps even some media attention. In this case, the ACU's Keene didn't necessarily offer to use his print column for paid advocacy, but the fact that it was mentioned as part of the pitch to FedEx suggests a certain, shall we say, ethical flexibility.

How do you love that from the ACU?! LOL Oh and Dave Weigel reminds us of another key point in all this...

The ACU, of course, heads up the massive yearly Conservative Political Action Conference. Its ratings for members of Congress are repeated by conservative Republicans all the time — “I have a 99 percent lifetime rating from the ACU,” for example.

Of course all in all I am sure the mainstream media will examine this story and determine that the REAL winner here.......is John McCain!