Their tools are the soft power of campaign-finance contributions, the revolving door of jobs in government and on Wall Street, and the creation of a culture that equated Wall Street's gain with America's gain.
The politicians and bureaucrats who craft policies and wield power, because this combination of massive government power and wide bureaucratic discretion creates huge demand for revolving-door lobbyists.
In a manner that smacks of the most rank exploitation of government office for private gain -- a practice popularly reviled as "the revolving door" and assiduously condemned by the incoming Clinton Administration -- Lawson intends to push the deal through prior to his departure.