Why? Because if you make any kind of living before trying to get confirmed to the government then you are under fire:

The White House’s nominee for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, has earned more than $700,000 in speaking and consulting fees since the beginning of 2008, with some of the payments coming from troubled financial firms and from a firm that invests in contractors for federal national security agencies, according to financial disclosures released Wednesday.

But that isn’t enough. You also better hope that none of the companies you work for have any kind of tax problems:

The panel is seeking information on his relationship to a nonprofit firm called EduCap Inc. that is under investigation by the Internal Revenue Service. EduCap and a sister firm donated $50,000 to Mr. Panetta’s institute and provided flights on its corporate jet to Mr. Daschle and other Washington figures.

This is just amazing and I blame the Democrats for it. Why aren’t they out there hammering the Republicans about this? “Why are the Republicans holding up the confirmation of someone heading our intelligence agency during a time of war?” Instead they pussy foot around and the Republicans start hammering their messages home.

Hell I remember back during all the bird flu stuff. The government was pushing a vaccine from a single company that so happened to be the very company Donald Rumsfeld ran before becoming Defense Secretary. But that was fine and dandy – I mean he had to make a living before government – right? That’s what the Republicans say, but that seems to have changed now.