Wal-Mart Rebranded

Jeffrey Goldberg has an alternately hilarious and chilling report on how Edelman's $10 million image-refurbishment contract for Wal-Mart is going. If you think politicians know how to stay on message, you haven't met a Wal-Mart executive. They've got the underlings under control as well. Here's a stonewall worthy of Alberto Gonzales:

Clark suggested that I interview an employee about flexible scheduling, and she provided the name and number of one who would talk to me: Latoya Machato, a cashier at a Texas Supercenter. I called the store and asked for Machato, but was told that "cashiers can't come to the phone during work." I called later and was told that Machato could speak to me on her break, but would not be allowed to call long-distance from a company phone. I asked Clark if Machato could talk to me after her shift, but Clark said that that would be impossible, because the store would have to put her "on the clock," and thus file the paperwork to get her paid an extra hour's wage.

Almost as media-friendly as the Human Rights Campaign.