By the end of March, Doris Meissner capitulated. No wonder the White House resisted investigators' requests for copies of its e-mails. As a result, thousands of criminals are now citizens of the United States. She may not be driven by public-relations calculations, but she's a quick learner. Hours later, the deal was off.
Telemarketing is perhaps the Western world's least favorite marketing practice.
Making telemarketers go away isn't easy. The Federal Trade Commission makes many companies keep such records of people who don't want to be bothered. Right now the agency is conducting a year long review of its regulations, and some changes may be ahead. One lawmaker proposed a law stopping two of the most notorious parts of telemarketing. But that effort can take several months to work and must be renewed after five years-and many marketers don't even use the list.