Hope for meaningful congressional ethics reform...What a joke

[splat@14]

Houston Chronicle on the missed opportunity for real reform. An argument can be made that it doesn't make any difference what they pass as ethics rules given there is no enforcement. You can't legislate morality. All pretty sad.
Splat


THE loud groaning to be heard in the Senate as it labored to produce its piddling lobbying "reform" bill was sadly laughable. The alterations passed Wednesday on a 90-8 vote were almost unimaginably modest, especially given that the roll call came only hours after disgraced superlobbyist Jack Abramoff was sentenced in Miami for one of his scams.

If Congress needed further reminder that the institution's standards have been found wanting, another former aide to U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, Tony Rudy, pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring with Abramoff to trade influence for gifts.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., voted against the puny proposal, which, he correctly noted, "does little to change the culture that allowed to abuse the system in the first place."

No matter, there was great backslapping in the Senate over working up the courage to ban members of Congress from accepting gifts and meals from lobbyists — practices that are unacceptable on their face and should have been outlawed decades ago.

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., crowed that there was now a sign in front of the Capitol: "It says, 'Not for sale.' " But the Senate's weak effort suggests that the national legislature remains available for long-term rental.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/3763044.html

[bemildred]

1. "Congressional ethics" is an oxymoron.

:puke:

[acmejack]

2. They pretty much flipped off groups like CREW

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a very aggressive progressive ethics watchdog nonprofit which was pushing for meaningful reform. It would appear we have received our answer!

edit to add missing adjective, oops...