The question is whether it is possible to run a significant business in the United States without interacting with the federal government. I don't think that it is.
It's not like ISPs and tech companies went to the NSA and offered up their data--there is no proof at all of that. What the evidence shows is that the government used its force of law to compel cooperation from these companies.
The people's tool for controlling the force of law is politics. So, being politically connected is an important part of playing defense against government action.
Whether Condoleeza Rice is the correct person to fulfill that role is in the eye of beholder. I certainly don't fault people for opposing any connection to her. But I would fault anyone who thinks that that is a universal sentiment. There are quite a few people (in government and out) who still respect and perhaps even like her.
"The question is whether it is possible to run a significant business in the United States without interacting with the federal government. I don't think that it is."
That may be true. It probably is true once you reach the numbers-beginning-in-B level.
Nevertheless, there are lots of political operatives, former officials, and other contacts you could find without stooping as low as a former member of the Bush administration.
It's not like ISPs and tech companies went to the NSA and offered up their data--there is no proof at all of that. What the evidence shows is that the government used its force of law to compel cooperation from these companies.
The people's tool for controlling the force of law is politics. So, being politically connected is an important part of playing defense against government action.
Whether Condoleeza Rice is the correct person to fulfill that role is in the eye of beholder. I certainly don't fault people for opposing any connection to her. But I would fault anyone who thinks that that is a universal sentiment. There are quite a few people (in government and out) who still respect and perhaps even like her.