The New York Times article has been seen by many as a setback to McCain, who has often railed against lobbyists and special interests in Washington. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that many of McCain’s closest advisers are, in fact, Washington lobbyists. His campaign manager, Rick Davis, co-founded a lobbying firm whose clients have included Verizon and SBC Telecommunications. McCain’s chief political adviser, Charles Black, Jr., is chair of one of Washington’s lobbying powerhouses, BKSH & Associates, which has represented AT&T, Alcoa, JP Morgan and US Airways. Senior advisers Steve Schmidt and Mark McKinnon work for firms that have lobbied for Land O’ Lakes, Dell and Fannie Mae. McCain’s top fundraising official is former Republican Congressman Tom Loeffler, who heads a lobbying law firm called the Loeffler Group. He has counseled the Saudis, as well as Southwest Airlines, AT&T, Toyota and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.