Matt says that "some of the stuff [at the Clinton Global Initiative] didn't seem like charity because it's not supposed to be charity, but I didn't see that explained anywhere. It was puzzling because everything about the operation seemed really slick and media-savvy. They just couldn't seem to communicate what it was they were actually doing." Or didn't want to. Saying, "hey, we're going to help all these private entities develop products that will then be sold at a major profit" doesn't generate much adulation. It's a good thing, but no virtue points. But a lot of the corporations there are decidedly interested in the virtue points, so they need to be preserved in the event. Clinton's pull with these donors is partially related to his ability to get them good press. So the CGI had to walk the line between saying what was going on, but not saying it clearly enough to make the decisions look like business propositions rather than charitable efforts. --Ezra Klein
