Mr. James Riady, a scion of the wealthy Indonesian clan that owns the huge Lippo group -- and, at one time, a tiny bank in Little Rock, capital of Mr. Clinton's home state of Arkansas -- has apparently been giving a lot of money to the president's Democratic Party since 1991.

CNN: Election Watch

The deal had already established its roots when buyout shop Oaktree Capital Management purchased the bonds of Classic Cable, which owned small rural cable systems in places like Arkansas and was heading for bankruptcy.

FORBES: Strategies