Ms. Benador's client list is impressive:
Former C.I.A. director James Woolsey, Daily News columnist A.M. Rosenthal, American Enterprise Institute resident scholar Michael Ledeen, National Review contributing editor Frank Gaffney Jr., former Washington Times editor in chief Arnaud de Borchgrave, former Secretary of State Alexander Haig Jr. and Iraqi dissident Kanan Makiya, a Brandeis professor who advocates regime change in the pages of The New Republic.
The way she speaks about her clients is not.
"I know that my roster is very high-level," she said. "I like to say it’s like choosing a horse—a purebred, you know? Take your time, look at the muscles, look at this, look at that."
We also don't care for the fact that she views her job as getting her clients views on tv--as opposed to just her clients--and is successful.
Ms. Benador spends her days mediating with TV producers and newspaper op-ed editors to get her clients’ messages out. "One of my greatest goals is to just promote views regarding Iraq," she said. "For instance, helping to understand that we are having a military success."
"I think it’s safe to say we’ve used everyone on her list," said Tunku Varadarajan, the op-ed editor of The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Varadarajan said that Ms. Benador calls him nearly every day.
As for Perle, Benador says she's representing him pro bono. She has gotten him him appearances on
ABC, MSNBC, CNN and Fox News. And she arranged for him to be a featured speaker at the National Press Club in Washington.
Many of her clients cited in the article seem to be trying to distance themselves from her. She's not about to let them.
Like Mr. Woolsey and Mr. Taheri, Mr. Perle gave the impression of knowing Ms. Benador only slightly.
"I don’t recall where I met her," he said. "It may have been at a luncheon address."
But Ms. Benador remembered it vividly: Last year, when Mr. Perle flew to New York for a private social engagement, she said, "I went to the airport and picked him up and spent the whole day with him."
She also helps conceal the real goals of her clients.
She described meeting with a new organization that plans to explore which rogue regime will be next in line for U.S. intervention following Iraq.
"They said their agenda is to see who is next after Iraq," she said. "And I said, ‘I don’t think that’s the right position, because "Who is next?" is like you’re asking for more war.’ And I said, ‘So you can ask, "What is next? What is going to happen next?"’ So I made them change that slightly.
[link via
Reach M High Cowboy]
