The Red Herring chimes in with a fascinating article about the Carlyle Group, an international investment fund with major interests in the defense industry and powerful contacts in global governments, through a heavy-hitter list that includes George H.W. Bush, John Major, and until recently the estranged family of Osama bin Laden.

[I]t is hard to ignore the fact that Osama bin Laden’s family members, who renounced their son ten years ago, stood to gain financially from the war being waged against him until late October, when public criticism of the relationship forced them to liquidate their holdings in the firm. Or consider that U.S. president George W. Bush is in a position to make budgetary decisions that could pad his father’s bank account.