But AT&T is one of the most powerful lobbyists on Capitol Hill, and its lavish donations to special interest groups over the years have seen it garner support for the merger from some unlikely quarters.
What evidently drew Mr. Putin's wrath was that Mr. Khodorkovsky not only made lavish donations to many candidates and parties -- even the Communists and Mr. Putin's United Russia -- but he also put Yukos officials on the slates of several parties.
Ensuring that his status of proconsular imperium maius was renewed in 13 BC, Augustus stayed in Rome during the renewal process and provided veterans with lavish donations to gain their support.
Four years ago, Wall Street lavished donations on the campaign of the Republican candidate Mitt Romney, a former private-equity executive and one of its own, contributing more than thirty-two million dollars to him, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Mr. Vilar, 60, made his pledge last month, the end of a year in which he lavished donations on a variety of cultural institutions, including the Los Angeles Opera and the Metropolitan Opera.
Enron has spread lavish campaign donations on local politicians, including Mr. Bush.
But by combining lobbying with lavish campaign donations, they are enhancing the danger of the unlimited-spending era.
Even with cadres of lobbyists and lavish campaign donations, Wall Street can't easily hedge its current political risks.
Advocates of change said they hoped to ride to victory the controversy over the business practices of the Enron Corporation and its lavish campaign donations.
The firms' top executives have become celebrities, their donations and lavish parties appearing in the gossip pages.
