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But McCain has long been seen as a fighter against just the kind of special interests that paid Black handsomely.And the candidate's decision this month to impose a strict ban on lobbying for foreign governments by members of his staff has only intensified the scrutiny of Black's past.

His lobbying firm received millions from the brutal Angolan guerrilla leader(Jonas Savimbi) and took advantage of Black's contacts in Congress and the White House.


Time magazine wrote in March 1986: "What the firm achieved was quickly dubbed 'Savimbi chic.' Doors swung open all over town for the guerrilla leader, who was dapperly attired in a Nehru suit and ferried about in a stretch limousine." The firm's contract with Savimbi in 1985 was for $600,000.

In late 1989, as the firm prepared for another Savimbi visit to Washington, the foreign-agent records document hundreds of thousands ofdollars it spent on behalf of UNITA, including $76,491 for limousines, $13,675 for photography and $216,186 for lodging at the Grand Hotel and the Waldorf-Astoria.

In addition to introducing Savimbi to powerful politicians, Black's team booked him on "60 Minutes" and "Nightline," as part of a mediacampaign aimed at emphasizing to the public UNITA's desire for freedom from Angola's Marxist government.