Thursday, February 21, 2008

Career Path Question

by Tom Bozzo

Gotta say, the Washington Post's version of the McCain-Iseman story has some features that the McCain maybe-not-denial-denials don't begin to address. For instance:

Iseman, 40, who joined the Arlington-based firm of Alcalde & Fay as a secretary and rose to partner within a few years, often touted her access to the chairman of the Senate commerce committee, according to several other lobbyists who spoke on the condition of anonymity. [emphasis added]
Now, lobbying isn't exactly rocket science, so the Post is perhaps not quite saying that Iseman was hired as department secretary and rose to full professor within a few years. [*] Reading between the lines, though, it could be worse in that what makes lobbyists worth the money is precisely their ability to sell access to officials. She couldn't have had any to start, otherwise she wouldn't have been hired as a secretary, eh? With a B.A. in education as her sole listed educational credential, she wouldn't appear to have started off as an underemployed telecoms wonk, either.

So what's the precipitating event that gets her onto the partnership track? Just asking.


[*] Assuming, of course, that the Post's account is accurate.

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