Questions about Giuliani's Firm

Daily Kos carried a headline (carried from Bloomberg News) today that was hard to avoid:

Giuliani's firm lobbies for Hugo Chavez

Rudolph Giuliani's law firm lobbies for Citgo Petroleum Corp., a unit of the state-owned oil company controlled by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the U.S.'s chief antagonist in the Western Hemisphere.

Bracewell & Giuliani LLP registered to lobby for Citgo in Texas on April 26, 2005, less than a month after the former New York mayor joined the firm and became a name partner, state records show. Citgo renewed the contract in 2006 and 2007 and pays the firm $5,000 a month to track legislation. Giuliani doesn't lobby, the firm says.

If the report is accurate, Giuliani should distance himself from Venezuela now if he can. Granted, Venezuela is no Iran or North Korea, but one can hardly run for the Republican nomination when the leader of a state-owned company you advise called your party leader "the devil."

Just like Obama recently paid his parking tickets, and Edwards (belatedly) got rid of his nutty bloggers, Giuliani has to make some moves.