McCain and Lobbyists

Deadline Poet

By Calvin Trillin

This article appeared in the June 16, 2008 edition of The Nation.

May 28, 2008

No lobbyists will serve in his campaign,
Says now-and-then reformer John McCain.
That surely could reduce the payroll's heft:
It's possible he'll have no staffers left.
Deciding just to whom this rule applies
Is someone who's a lobbyist. Surprise!
Completing what the candidate's desiring
Necessitates an act of auto-firing.

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About Calvin Trillin

Calvin Trillin is The Nation's "deadline poet." He has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1963 and has written the syndicated weekly column "Uncivil Liberties" since 1986. He has authored many, many books, including Tepper's Not Going Out and Deadline Poet: My Life as a Doggerelist. more...
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