A blockbuster Politico story on Al-Jazeera claims that the Republican-oriented lobbying firm, Barbour, Griffith & Rogers (BGR), worked on behalf of Qatar, as well as Al-Jazeera. But Loren Monroe, the spokesman for the firm, is denying it, telling AIM, “We did not represent Al-Jazeera.”
The charge that a prominent lobbying firm represented Al-Jazeera is politically explosive not only because of the high-level Republican connections, but because the “Barbour” in BGR is Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, a possible 2012 Republican presidential candidate.
Qatar sponsors and funds Al-Jazeera but the government and the channel have tried to create the perception that the network is somehow independent. Generally, Qatar has been regarded by some as friendly to the U.S. while Al-Jazeera was considered an enemy of what the U.S. was trying to accomplish in Iraq and around the Middle East. The channel developed a reputation as “Jihad TV” or “Terror Television” because of its airing of videos from al-Qaeda. One of its correspondents went to prison in Spain as an agent of al-Qaeda.
Politico reporters Keach Hagey and Byron Tau said, “A person familiar with the Qatar contact confirmed to Politico that BGR and Al-Jazeera have a long-standing relationship, and that the network embarked on a PR push during the latter half of the Bush administration.”
This “long-standing relationship” between BGR and Al-Jazeera (and Qatar) became more direct and substantial when Ben Smith’s Politico blog said that the representation of Al-Jazeera was “part of their contract with Qatar in a mid-2000s PR push to rehabilitate the controversial Arab network.”
Read More at GOPUSA by Cliff Kincaid
Photo Credit: Donkey Hotey (Creative Commons)
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Barbour has long been willing to work for anyone who would pay him, while governing the state that draws more federal welfare than any other. He has been described by other Republicans as the GOP politician that Michael Moore would invent, if he could invent one.
Regardless of how direct his times may be to al-Jazeera (and excellent source of news about the Middle East, by the way), is anyone really expecting ethical behavior from Barbour?
James please let me correct you as usual! The State of La. has been devastated by not one but two hurricanes! Therefore Federal Welfare is needed much more there than elsewhere.
* James i do believe you erred by saying times instead of ties? Just log that if you can into your memory if possible for the future so not to commit such elementary mistakes as this one.
So just what does Louisiana have to do with Barbour, speaking of "elementary mistakes"? And if we're going to worry about the occasionally typo, I guess you'd have to give up writing altogether–though it's interesting to see you now favoring "federal welfare."
In fact Mississippi has a long history of being one of the poorest states and of being near the top of federal aid recipients.
NO MORE THAN THEY EXPECT IT FROM YOU
The Muslims are infiltrating everywhere–even the Koch Brothers-funded Tea Party group Citizens for a Strong America: http://jmcpherson.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/citize…
Lol! This one is a good one James! Lol! As well James if i turn the number six (6) upside down it then becomes a nine (9) !
"This one is a good one"
Thanks.
Oh James no need to thank me for exposing just how dumb your post was! Trust me i enjoyed doing so immensely!
See, you would miss me, Cougar, if only for the help I give you in maintaining your delusions.
James the only delusional one here is none other than yourself that i would miss you.
"if i turn the number six (6) upside down it then becomes a nine (9) !"
So that's actually a "999" tattoo you have, Cougar?
James this is such a ignorant response by you that even embarrassed for you!
correction: even i