Earthside Comments: Yup. Above is the headline from the Washington Post this morning. The current Bush-controlled rendition of the Republican Party in the U.S. Senate wants to continue its corrupt ways.
They can try and cover it up by throwing out a 'fiscal responsibility' bone, but in the end, they want to be able to keep taking graft and gifts and making sure their corporate cronies get everything they ask for.
Of course, what is so absurd is that this is pretty much the same Bushite Republican Senate that will end up giving us nearly $9 trillion in federal government debt. So, their credibility on deficit spending is ... well, ZERO. Just proving the point that this is about the Bush/Republican love of corruption.
Ah!
Link: Republicans Halt Ethics Legislation | Washington Post
Senate Republicans scuttled broad legislation last night to curtail lobbyists' influence and tighten congressional ethics rules, refusing to let the bill pass without a vote on an unrelated measure that would give President Bush virtual line-item-veto power. ...
... The bill was to be the Democratic-controlled Senate's first piece of legislation, a statement of bipartisanship and a break from the scandals that helped return the party to power. Instead, a measure that began with Reid and McConnell as co-sponsors was chased from the floor in a partisan showdown when Republicans prevented the Democratic leadership from bringing it to a vote. The 51 to 46 vote was nowhere close to the two-thirds majority needed to break the Republican filibuster. ...
... The bill matched the rule changes approved earlier this month in the House, banning meals, trips and gifts from lobbyists. But it went beyond those internal alterations to effect legal changes that would have reached far beyond Capitol Hill. Democrats pushed amendments that would have forced lobbyists to publicly divulge the small campaign contributions they collect from clients and "bundle" into large contributions. Lavish gatherings thrown by lobbyists and corporate interests at party conventions would have been banned. ...
... Government watchdog groups did not think that the fight had anything to do with spending authority and everything to do with the ethics bill.
"Whatever they're saying, Republican votes tonight were votes to prevent the Senate from enacting major lobbying and ethics reforms to deal with corruption scandals in Congress," said Fred Wertheimer, president of the watchdog group Democracy 21. "I don't think anyone's getting away with anything here."
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