Microsoft Battles Google by Hiring Political Brawler Mark Penn - NYTimes.com

A sign of the Redmond times

"Hiring Mr. Penn demonstrates how seriously Microsoft is taking this fight, said Michael A. Cusumano, a business professor at M.I.T. who co-wrote a book about Microsoft’s browser war.
“They’re pulling out all the stops to do whatever they can to halt Google’s advance, just as their competition did to them,” Professor Cusumano said. “I suppose that if Microsoft can actually put a doubt in people’s mind that Google isn’t unbiased and has become some kind of evil empire, they might very well get results.”"

Microsoft Battles Google by Hiring Political Brawler Mark Penn - NYTimes.com