Naked Capitalism Link of the Day

Today's link: Welcome To Murdochia, at Foreign Policy.  It covers the history of Murdoch's worldwide empire.  I liked this part about his activities in his native Australia:

Murdoch has been an influential presence in Australian politics since the 1960s. He controls the majority of the country's influential newspapers, and a meeting with the tycoon is considered de rigueur for sitting (or aspiring) prime ministers. While left-wing critics paint the country as a "Murdochracy" and note that his rise to prominence has coincided with a rightward shift in the country's politics, Murdoch has, at times, supported leaders from both major parties as it suited his interests.
Murdoch had close ties to former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating, dating back to when they cooperated on Murdoch's acquisition of the Melbourne Herald Sun, now Australia's most widely read newspaper, while Keating was national treasurer. Murdoch was an outspoken supporter of Liberal Party (politically conservative by U.S. definition) Prime Minister John Howard, but his suggestion that Howard ought to step down and his endorsement of Kevin Rudd helped tip the 2007 Australian election.
Murdoch is less close to current Prime Minister Julia Gillard, particularly when it comes to environmental issues, but a Gillard spokesperson was nothing if not diplomatic in describing her country's best-known business export: "Of course we don't agree on everything -- but I think it's fair to say we should be proud he's a product of Australia." 
In Australia, as elsewhere, Murdoch generally seems less interested in pushing a social or ideological agenda than one that benefits Murdoch himself.

That makes it more intriguing that Murdoch hosted a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton.  His willingness to help whichever side seems to be likely to take power makes me think he knew the Democrats were likely to win in 2008, and he wanted to help somebody he thought he could work with.  But then again, ratings went through the roof at Fox News as soon as Obama won, so he would have profited regardless.  I think the U.S. market is so messed up by the religious fervor of the right-wing, that it is a different animal than many other parts of the world.  Murdoch has seemed to back the crazies here nearly continuously because they are so profitable.