NP? Soros re Bush

[Doug Millison]

http://www.thenation.com//capitalgames/index.mhtml?bid=3&pid=82

[...] At the time, Harken was owned by global billionaire George Soros, the
Harvard Management Corporation, and others. A few weeks ago, I was at the
opening of the new Washington offices of the Open Society Institute, a
nonprofit policy and advocacy organization founded by Soros. OSI reflects
the left-of-center beliefs of Soros. In the United States and overseas, it
promotes campaign finance reform, government openness, drug policy reform,
abolition of the death penalty and many other issues. At the party,
practically the entire liberal policy community of the capital was present.
Well-wishers (and grant-seekers?) were eagerly congratulating Soros. While
chatting with one of his employees, I said to her, "One day, you should ask
Soros what he knew about the Harken deal and why his company took on Bush."
She blanched and mumbled that she could never raise that with Soros.

Later, when I saw the billionaire almost alone, I sidled up to him. "Nice
offices," I said. "But can I ask you about some ancient history?" Sure, he
said, with a good-natured smile. What was the deal with Harken buying up
Spectrum 7? I inquired. Did Soros know Bush back then?

"I didn't know him," Soros replied. "He was supposed to bring in the Gulf
connection. But it didn't come to anything. We were buying political
influence. That was it. He was not much of a businessman."

Then my time with the billionaire was up. If Soros--who disagrees with most
Bush policies--is telling the truth, it means Bush only survived in the
corporate jungle because of his surname and connections. Yes, that hardly
comes as a surprise. But it does render Bush a purebred embodiment of the
central issue of the current business scandals: those on the inside play by
a different set of rules than the rest of Americans (including workers and
small investors). The market works for Bush--as well as for Martha Stewart
and the execs of WorldCom and Enron--in ways others can only imagine, or
read about, once in a great while, in an indictment.

Had it not been for Soros and his Harken partners, what might have become
of George the Younger? Because a liberal billionaire and his corporate
allies sought political juice in 1986--for they knew the business world is
no meritocracy--Bush's corporate career was artificially inflated.
Consequently, he was able to enter politics, citing his business
experience, and land in a position where he could implement policies that
make Soros gag. (O. Henry would enjoy this turnabout.)

Even if Bush did not trade on inside information, he fully exploited
insider capitalism. If it takes a crony to bust up crony capitalism, the
nation has the right man for the job."