Surprise, Surprise: Ethics Reform Stalling

Washington Post:

The rush to revise ethics laws in the wake of the Jack Abramoff political corruption scandal has turned into more of a saunter.

A month ago, Republican leaders in Congress called legislation on the topic their first priority, and promised quick action on a measure that would alter the rules governing the interaction between lawmakers and lobbyists.

Truthdig says: Figuring that public indignation over the Jack Abramoff scandal will soon dissipate, Republicans in Congress are dragging their feet on passing reform measures--going back on their vows to quickly clean up their own house.

Unfortunately, this will probably work--because an indignant populace is sort of like a villain in a James Bond movie: We vow to stamp out a source of aggravation; we put the machinery in place for doing so; we flip the switch; and then we leave the room on the nave assumption that our plan is escape-proof. 

It’d be funny if this weren’t, like, our government we’re talking about.

From jamesbondguys.com

An outraged public too often resembles a James Bond villain—by naively allowing the source of outrage to escape.