In this new era of Hope ‘n Change, Obama quickly asserted that no lobbyists would be allowed to serve in his administration. 24 hours later, that rule was bent for William J. Lynn III, a Raytheon lobbyist. How so, you may wonder? Well, it’s simple. There are no lobbyists allowed in the Obama administration… except the ones that Obama has sign a waiver.

So what exactly did Lynn do for Raytheon?

According to the company’s disclosure forms, Lynn was part of a team that lobbied on a wide range of defense issues, including acquisitions policy, force protection, space and intelligence, command and control, simulation and training, missile defense, sensors and radars, and munitions and artillery. The breadth of the work reflects the reach of Raytheon throughout the Defense Department.

Interesting. See, this is why Lynn needs a special waiver from Obama — because if he was excused from all of the above, there’d be no job left for him to do. Therefore, ta-da! He gets a super-special waiver.

Now, I’m not arguing that Lynn wouldn’t be a good man for the job. On the contrary, he seems like he’d be the only person in the Obama administration with experience relatable to the job he’ll actually be doing. What is notable here is how quickly the new Hope ‘n Change policies are proving to be superficial and shallow once they’re tested by reality.

Hat Tip: Ace of Spades