A Fortune article, How Microsoft Conquered Washington, describes in detail the sophisticated — and expensive — lobbying that Microsoft does with our elected officials:
It is getting to government officials early and stopping them from asking the questions that could eventually cause it harm. Microsoft execs say privately that they believe they could have prevented the antitrust suit had they co-opted the policy debate sooner. So their goal now is, in essence, to win silence on issues that matter to the company… And on issues from privacy to piracy, Microsoft may well be succeeding.
No wonder they’re getting the kid glove treatment from the DoJ, now that Bush is in the White House.