Ethics/Schmethics 
After all, if the C-in-C serves at his own personal pleasure and dynastic benefit, rather at the pleasure of the people he represents, why should those in Congress?
A Senate committee yesterday rejected a bipartisan proposal to establish an independent office to oversee the enforcement of congressional ethics and lobbying laws, signaling a reluctance in Congress to beef up the enforcement of its rules on lobbying.The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs voted 11 to 5 to defeat a proposal by its chairman, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), and its ranking Democrat, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.), that would have created an office of public integrity to toughen enforcement and combat the loss of reputation Congress has suffered after the guilty plea in January of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Democrats joined Republicans in killing the measure.
. . . as the legislation has evolved and Abramoff has faded from the headlines, calls for bans have grown scarce, and expanded disclosure has become the centerpiece of the efforts underway. Two Senate committees this week have largely left undiminished lawmakers' ability to accept meals and travel, and the House appears headed in the same direction.
Short of a new fair and free election (with results obviously not tallied by Diebold), re-drawn redistricting, continued pursuit and prosecution of those who commit the most egregious crimes (and are careless enough to get caught), and a fully equipped army of non-partisan investigators charged by the voters, we cannot look for any significant closure to this melodrama:
The vote was described by government watchdog groups and several lawmakers as the latest example of Congress's waning interest in stringent lobbying reform. After starting the year with bold talk about banning privately paid meals and travel, lawmakers are moving toward producing a bill that would ban few of their activities and would rely mostly on stepped-up disclosure and reporting requirements as their lobbying changes."Lobbying reform is going more the enforcement route," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "What's that going to do? Nothing much."
Despite the overwhelming evidence that neither Congress nor the Administration is well-suited either by temperament or inclination to police itself, we continue to leave the foxes in charge of the henhouse.
Let those elected to represent you hear from you. We may not change anything before November, but at least they will have been warned.
KEYWORDS: Corruption, ethics, Congress, Bush Administration
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