Nathan Taylor to the white courtesy telephone

Well if this story in the LA Times doesn't convince Nathan Taylor to sign up, nothing will:

Guardsmen Took 'Rent' From Iraqi Businesses
The raising of money for a 'soldiers fund' is found during an investigation of a California battalion.

By Scott Gold, Times Staff Writer

California Army National Guard troops sought unauthorized, off-the-books "rent" from Iraqi-owned businesses inside Baghdad's Green Zone to raise money for a "soldiers fund," military officials and sources within the troops' battalion said Friday.

The disclosure is the latest to emerge from a wide-ranging investigation into the conduct of the 1st Battalion of the 184th Infantry Regiment of the Guard, which is headquartered in Modesto.

(snip)

Army officials say the total amount involved was $4,000, but troops in the battalion have said the scheme raised more than $30,000. The investigation resulted in disciplinary action against one officer from the battalion's Bravo Company. Army officials declined to reveal the officer's name, and his identity could not be confirmed independently.

That missing $26,000 they received from shaking down Iraqi businesses would just about cover Nathan's bar tab from the Young Republican National Convention.