Are they permissive because high-paying clients demand to be indulged?

Carter-Ruck, too, ended up subjecting their high-paying clients to far worse worldwide publicity than they could ever have dreamed of.

In that 1986 testimony, Mr. Deaver repeatedly denied making lobbying representations for high-paying private clients to his former associates in the Reagan Administration.

In addition, RazorGator caters to high-paying corporate clients and other groups - arranging such amenities as restaurant reservations near the site of the concert or sports event.

"They are very adept at how to satisfy the committee to minimize the damage to their high-paying client," Mr. Ridpath said.

But guest, in this context, actually means high-paying client: an oppressive regime hoping to buy itself some cultural legitimacy with its petrodollars.

This company is among a new breed of Washington firms that has turned grass-roots organizing techniques to the advantage of its high-paying clients, generally trade associations and corporations.

A central problem in the Enron scandal is that Arthur Andersen didn't have the stomach to stand up to its high-paying client.

The era of electronic vox pop has meant boom times for at least one species of Washington insider: consultants who deliver populist rage for high-paying clients.