Billionaire Operative Sheldon Adelson, Exposed in New Yorker Article

Major Bush and McCain backer and casino owner, Sheldon Adelson is one ugly hombre. This expose from The New Yorker magazine, The World of Business: The Brass Ring, A multibillionaire’s relentless quest for global influence. by Connie Bruck was called to my attention. The article begins with a lot of interest background material on Adelson's financial and political dealings. He is the third richest person in the U.S. He owns two Las Vegas casinos and uses his money to influence U.S. and Israeli policy toward an aggressive anti-arab policy. Only on the last two pages does it draw a connection to McCain and the current political campaign.

In late March, Senator John McCain held a fund-raiser in Las Vegas. When the event was being planned, McCain called MGM Mirage’s Terry Lanni—who has been a strong supporter of McCain for twenty years, including during his 2000 run for the Presidency—and asked him to co-host the event with Adelson, at the Venetian [a casino owned by Adelson.

Although previously a supporter of Giuliani, Adelson agreed because he was assured that McCain shared his views on mid-east policy. Adelson is such an extreme hawk that he opposes Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and is now to the right of AIPAC, which he had previously supported.

Last year, he contributed funds for a lavish new office building in Washington, D.C., for the organization. In November, shortly before the summit, he learned that AIPAC was supporting a congressional letter, signed by more than a hundred and thirty members of the House of Representatives, that urged the Bush Administration to increase economic aid to the Palestinians, an initiative that the government of Israel also supported. Adelson was furious. ... snip ... Some conservatives have heralded Adelson as their answer to George Soros, the financier who has donated large sums to the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org, and there were press reports that Adelson might spend two hundred million dollars on the 2008 elections. Last summer, Freedom’s Watch spent fifteen million dollars on a nationwide ad campaign supporting the troop surge in Iraq, and in the fall it held a conference on radical Islam and Iran. ... snip ... And in its latest offensive, over Iraq-war funding, the organization has been targeting vulnerable Democrats—along with Representative Shelley Berkley, who holds one of the safest seats in the Nevada congressional delegation.

This is a 13 page article full of interesting stuff. This summary is only to whet your interest.