"If there was something important that I could do that would be useful to a Bush administration, fine," Barksdale told the Wall Street Journal last December, "but I've got plenty to do."

That to-do list includes acting as an informal adviser to Bush. Before the election, Barksdale was one of a dozen high-tech executives who met with the candidate three times to discuss Bush's plans for tax cuts and education reform. After one session, Barksdale assured reporters that the executives weren't simply wiring their own firms. "We aren't asking for corporate tax deductions," he insisted. "We are interested in what we can do to help the consumers get more money in their pockets."

But as founder and president of the Barksdale Group, a venture capital firm that funds "Net economy" companies, Barksdale has a direct interest in education. Like many of his high-tech cronies, he's concerned about the future availability of skilled employees. Last year, he donated $100 million to establish the Barksdale Reading Institute, a joint venture with several organizations that serve children in Mississippi.

Barksdale is a die-hard Republican who has backed George W. Bush, John Ashcroft, and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. He breaks party ranks only when high-tech issues are on the line: He gave $3,000 to Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from Silicon Vallye known for her support of easing trade, and former Senator Bob Kerrey, a Nebraska Democrat who chaired the Web-based Education Commission that advocated federal spending to wire public schools. 

Barksdale has also assured his political clout by working with Silicon Valley's pre-eminent lobbying group, TechNet. Other members of the Mother Jones 400 in the group include Leo Hindery Jr. (No. 29, $591,102), John Chambers (No. 31, $582,933), John Doerr (No. 55, $477,500), Marc Andreessen (No. 71, $404,00), Michael Dell (No. 104, $328,000), Paul Egerman (No. 156, $279,000), and Thomas Weisel (No. 185, $260,000).