Scheunemann Helped U.S. Firm Win Georgian Energy Deals While Lobbying For Georgia’s NATO Membership
Scheunemann Helped U.S. Firm Win Georgian Energy Deals While Lobbying For Georgia’s NATO Membership
Earlier today, Russia sent troops into a breakaway region of Georgia “after Georgian troops sought to enter the capital of the pro-Russian enclave.” As Matt Duss noted at the Wonk Room, the invasion “raises some questions about how a McCain administration might deal with a crisis like this,” particularly because his top foreign policy adviser — Randy Scheunemann — has spent a number of years lobbying on behalf of Georgia and has publicly taken strong pro-Georgia, anti-Russia positions.
Last May, USA Today reported that Scheunemann’s lobbying firm, Orion Strategies, represented Georgia between 2003 and March 2008 and that Scheunemann himself lobbied McCain’s Senate staff on behalf of Georgia while working for McCain’s presidential campaign.
Also, freelance journalist Lindsay Beyerstein reported last month that Scheunemann serves as Worldwide Strategic Energy’s (WSE) point man on Georgia, helping the energy firm score deals with the Georgian government to assist in the development of its “hydrocarbon industry.” From a WSE internal document obtained by Beyerstein:
Randy Scheunemann is a registered representative of the Government of Georgia in the United States. Accordingly, Mr. Scheunemann has developed a very close relationship with President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili and many senior Georgian officials. The WSE team has also begun negotiating possible deals with the Georgian state-run oil company, National Oil Company of Georgia, to assist in the development of Georgia’s hydrocarbon industry.
So what then does Scheunemann do on Georgia’s behalf? He tries to get U.S. politicians on-board with Georgia’s full membership into NATO. In fact, he has had success with at least one Member of Congress, Sen. John McCain:
In 2005, Mr. Scheunemann asked Sen. McCain to introduce a Senate resolution expressing support for peace in the Russia-influenced region of South Ossetia that wants to break away from Georgia, the records show. [...] The Senate approved Sen. McCain’s resolution in December 2005.
Sen. McCain has endorsed Georgia’s goal of entering NATO, a matter for which the country hired Mr. Scheunemann to lobby. In 2006, Sen. McCain gave a speech at the Munich Conference on Security in Germany in which he said Georgia should enter NATO.
According to Beyerstein, WSE’s internal document “was circulated to prospective investors in 2007,” and as USA Today noted, Scheunemann did not stop lobbying on behalf of Georgia until March 2008, but “he remains a principal at his lobbying firm, which still has Georgia as a client.” In fact, Scheunemann “had a phone conversation in November [2007] about Georgia with Richard Fontaine, an aide in McCain’s Senate office.”
Helping a U.S. energy firm secure lucrative contracts with the Georgian government while lobbying American politicians for the former Soviet Republic’s NATO membership? As Duss noted, trying to play an honest broker in the growing Russia-Georgia crisis would prove to be more complicated than meets the eye for a McCain administration.
Indeed, Politico notes today that McCain took a harder line on Russia on its invasion of Georgia than the Bush administration did.
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McCain and his team are just the folks to manage this crisis. Might John respond:
"The first thing I'd do is consult with Czechoslovakia about tossing Russia out of the G-8. Then I’d build on my past success solving conflicts along the Iraq-Pakistan border. With this firm foundation, I'm the man to solve the problem. That I’d do, my friend."
It has two McCain talking points. How much does that get me in "Frequent Lyer" miles?
August 8th, 2008 at 3:05 pmIndeed, Politico notes today that McCain took a harder line on Russia on its invasion of Georgia than the Bush administration did.
Now, refresh my memory, please. Would that be the same Russia that McCain wants thrown out of the G8?
Well, at least he doesn't let his biases show.
PEACE
August 8th, 2008 at 3:05 pmWhich has what to do with the cronyism demonstrated in the article?
The territorial integrity isn't in question here, its the financial and moral integrity that we're looking at.
August 8th, 2008 at 3:12 pmThe White House States pledged its support for the territorial integrity of Georgia on Friday
Sadly, when Bush agreed to this he was mainly concerned about protecting Coca-Cola's secret formula from the Russians...
August 8th, 2008 at 3:12 pmThis is obviously very serious, and nothing to play political games over.
If only we had some political clout or moral authority that would allow us to condemn Russia for invading a soveriegn nation, huh?
August 8th, 2008 at 3:17 pmNot to mention having a military available if this thing gets out of hand...
So let me get this straight:
McCain's "foreign policy adviser" is an advocate of Georgia, the former Soviet satellite nation, at the behest of the oil industry, puts him at odds with Russia... the country McCain recently dissed, advocating their exclusion from the G8 for their abuse of the political system there.
Meanwhile, our own corrupt oil industry is among the chief financiers of the McCain campaign, his FP Adviser is a Georgia lobbyists at the behest of those same oil companies, is advising a Presidential Candidate that votes 95% of the time with a President whose own political abuses make Putin's heavy-handedness look tame?
Have I got this right?
August 8th, 2008 at 3:21 pmIndeed, Politico notes today that McCain took a harder line on Russia on its invasion of Georgia than the Bush administration did.
Which makes plenty of sense , seeing as how much respect McStupid and Chimpy have for sovereign nations that ........Oh , wait.
Forget it.
August 8th, 2008 at 3:25 pmThemis Says:
The Georgian President has declared war on Russia. 1,400 reported dead so far.
Not sure where "Channel 4" is getting that "1,400" number. The AP is reporting "14" dead.
Whichever is right, obvious lots of confusion right now.
August 8th, 2008 at 3:33 pmThemis Says:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2,000 Georgian troops are expected to leave the Multi-National Forces in Iraq to return home to defend their country against Russian invasion.
August 8th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
150,000 American troops should return to the US from Iraq to defend our Constitution against the Chimpy administration ..
August 8th, 2008 at 3:39 pmConflict in Georgia, quick is there someway we can get some fat contracts out of this?
August 8th, 2008 at 3:47 pmMirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the biggest imperial power of all? Could it be the USA, with 2,000 troops in Georgia, there to train Georgians to go to Iraq oppress Iraqis so that our puppet regime in Iraq will allow US corporations to take the Iraqi oil for practically nothing? Sounds like a multi-level imperialistic game to me.
August 8th, 2008 at 3:48 pmThemis Says:
The Georgian President has declared war on Russia. 1,400 reported dead so far. This is obviously very serious, and nothing to play political games over.
August 8th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
______
Agreed - this is serious, and it's nothing to play games over. However, it is important to realize that, as with all wars, there's somebody profiting from this. It's critical that we stay vigilant as the situation develops and be very wary of how all parties apply the shock doctrine as the smoke begins to clear.
August 8th, 2008 at 5:06 pmMore conflict for a warmonger mcsane to further his desire to continue the military industrial complex to further his ambition to conquer the world for all mankind.
August 8th, 2008 at 6:45 pmThis is another example that the "old world jounalism of Murrow, Cronkite and Rather is dead and buried. In the case of the Time Magazine reporter Ms Tumulty, she seems to think the finding out the who, what, where, when and how have been replaced with a steno pad, which she records what ABC said in rebuttle to the complaint of Congressman Kucinich. There is a great disconnect with what happened and the points made by ABC. She asks little of no questions to ABC. She takes what is handed to her and repeats it vebatim and then calls that reporting. I call is stenography. Lida Sohbet sohbet sesli chat Gelinlik Modelleri
January 11th, 2009 at 11:35 amIf you’re referring to Karl Schwarz’ articles, if they are true, how will we ever know unless the news media gets involved without bias? The military under orders not to speak out may never convey Karl Scharz’ expose’. Sesli Sohbet If Cheney was truly involved in 9/11 and protected in some way, then he’s being protected by what may be going on in the Caspian Sea area as well. That pre-9/11 August 10, 2000 article drives the point home to me that Cheney had a vested interest in the oil at the Caspian Sea area (before 9/11). Fx15 From all I’ve read in Schwarz’ articles, he claims the Taliban was working on a deal with Argentina with that pipeline in the Caspian Sea area and UNOCOL wanted the deal instead. Orjinal Lida It’s too much to get into here and I’m not able to convey in here what Schwarz has presented in his articles. Sikis Dig into Schwarz’ articles to learn more about the unnamed soldier’s experiences related to so-called Black Ops missions in the Caspian Sea area in Schwarz’ article. What Schwarz had to present in this article is an eye opener: kurtlar vadisi pusu izle
January 30th, 2009 at 2:41 pmthanks Lida Dai Dai Hua Jiao Nang Seo Yar??mas?
February 2nd, 2009 at 4:14 amI want suits in Colorado, New Jersey, and any other state where illegal suppression campaigns are being conducted. And some real looks at the polling methodology would also be eye opening.
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