Haley Barbour Blows

The current Governor of the mediocre state of Mississippi, and uber-lobbyist, was just on MSNBC and was basically begging to be the VP pick to the eventual nominee ... and boy did he suck!

Barbour is worthless. Stop putting him on TV.

BG&R Gets a New Client

And said client is getting a pretty good deal for what is usually some high-priced lobbying:

The lobbying by Barbour Griffith & Rogers is raising eyebrows on K Street and among American Indian groups in part because of the unusual client and payment arrangements. Instead of listing the tribe, the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, as its client, BGR lists a little-known Texas lobbying firm, Hard Count Inc. And disclosure forms, along with the client’s comments, show that BGR is working for a fraction of its usual fee.

The firm typically charges from $15,000 to $50,000 and more per month for its lobbying services.

[...]

On the firm’s lobbying disclosure form for the first six months of 2007, BGR reported earning less than $10,000 for its work, which began some time around April. At issue is a 25-year battle by the Juaneno band to be recognized by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Maybe they had a coupon?

Or maybe the first name on BG&R's letterhead (that would be Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour) knows a thing or two about gaming (see Biloxi)?

Take your pick.

The Steroidial Will to Power of Haley Barbour

As may have been hinted at earlier, I am not a fan.

TNR has a must read on the Mississippi governor.

More from the GOP VP Horserace

Last week we brought you a couple of names that apparently are (but have no business being) on the long list for the Vice President slot on the Republican party's '08 ticket. Today we bring another name:

Haley Barbour.

Yup, the same Haley Barbour we've been indirectly (and directly) speaking of while discussing the Iyad Allawi power grab in Iraq.

Go back and read the Steve Clemons post we linked to last month (again, in case you missed it, here) and read how he's managed to save Mississippi from the ravages from Hurricane Katrina. Because of Barbour status former chairman of the RNC and as a veritable supernova in the lobbyist universe he was able to wrangle a disproportionate chunk of federal funds marked for hurricane relief back to his home state.

If he is chosen as the running mate, he'll likely run hard as the competence governor that was able to clean his state up after the worst natural disaster in the nation's history. That angle will especially be useful for the Republican if they plan on diverting reminders of just how poorly Pres. Bush performed during the storm.

Of all the names being floated around for the VP slot, Barbour's is probably the one to beat. He's the consummate insider in a party that loves a coronation and since they're not actually going to get to crown the man running for the top spot this year, they may just as well revert back to form to select his running mate.

So, to recap:

Haley Barbour, Tim Pawlenty and Mike Huckabee ... all possibilities.

Tommy Frank ... not a prayer.

Bill Bennet ... seriously, why do conservatives put up with such suggestions?

Speaking of Haley Barbour...

We've been talking about Haley Barbour's Washington lobbying shop all week and now we finally have the opportunity to talk about the man himself.

The news -- surprise! -- is less than positive. Normally, I'd excerpt a particularly juicy graf or two, but in this case it's best to just read the whole piece by Steve Clemons.