BUSINESS — FORMER BUSH OFFICIAL JOSH BOLTEN ADVISING BP ON HOW TO ‘DEFEND ITS INTERESTS’ AND RESTORE ITS REPUTATION: Oil giant BP has embarked on an aggressive campaign to repair its public image in the wake of its disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It has repeatedly run full-page ads in major newspapers, retained high-powered lobbying and public relations firms, and launched a series of television ads with CEO Tony Hayward trying to apologize. The company even hired Anne Womack-Kolton, a former top aide to Vice President Cheney, to be its new spokesperson. Now, the London Times reports that former chief of staff to President Bush Josh Bolten is on BP’s team. Bolten is a member of an “international advisory board” assisting BP “to defend its interests against a fierce onslaught from the US Government.” Last week, President Obama excoriated BP for its lavish spending on public relations after the oil disaster. “My understanding is, is that BP has contracted for $50 million worth of TV advertising to manage their image during the course of this disaster,” the President said, adding, “And what I don’t want to hear is, when they’re spending that kind of money on their shareholders and spending that kind of money on TV advertising, that they’re nickel-and-diming fishermen or small businesses here in the Gulf who are having a hard time.”
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