The always tricksy overlap between "friends" and "lobbyists", which has tripped up Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in the public's mind, if not his own, was nicely dealt with by Tony Snow in the context of Karl Rove's similar problems (via Dan Froomkin) --
"Q Did Karl Rove run afoul of any White House ethics policies when he went to a basketball game with Jack Abramoff?
"MR. SNOW: According to Karl -- and, again, we're still looking through all this -- he paid for any and all tickets. If you pay for a ticket, and you have a pre-existing social relationship, as everybody in this room knows, the pre-existing social relationship rules. But as I said on Friday, we are looking very carefully through all of it. . . .
"Q But even if he paid for it, he was using one of the most powerful lobbyists in Washington like a valet service -- here, I'll go get you some tickets. I mean, is that permissible?
"MR. SNOW: Again, what the characterization -- he was using it as a 'valet service' -- that's colorful, that's good, that's really good."
Who's Bertie's "valet service" for his Man Utd tickets?
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