The Washington Post has good news and bad news for Nancy Pelosi.
Of course she lost on Iraq, but the ethics bill passed easily.
I had to read down to the 7th paragraph to find out that she lost on that one too. The Democratic crook caucus didn't want to have to wait 2 whole years to cash in as lobbyists collecting bribes on the installment plan (sorry I meant being hired for their access). Pelosi attempted to resist for a while, then gave in.
This is revealed in paragraph 7 of a generally enthusiastic article by Elizabeth Williamson in the Washington Post
Democratic leaders and some watchdog groups hailed yesterday's bill as the most sweeping ethics package since the post-Watergate era. Even so, it lost proposals such as disclosure of "grass-roots" communications campaigns orchestrated by lobbyists and an extension from one year to two of the time lawmakers must wait between leaving their jobs and lobbying former colleagues. Instead, the bill would require that lawmakers interviewing for private-sector jobs publicly recuse themselves from issues involving their prospective new industry.
The extension from one year to two was the point of disagreement between Pelosi and greedy democratic congresspersons. Politics is indeed the art of the possible, and I think it is all too possible that Steny Hoyer is taking over, because he is so uhm flexible.
"The legislative process is the process of the possible, not the perfect, and this is a bill that is going to pass," said House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.).
Now I think 2 years is totally inadequate. This bit about "interviewing for private -sector jobs" is beyond pathetic. Clearly lobbyists and crooked congressmen get down to the details of compensation etc only after years of deniable hints about how the firm considers the congressman a friend and likes to hire people who ... well frankly who are collecting bribes with a delay.
The rule should be that legislators can never take a job with any firm that benefited from their legislation. Giving ex legislators pensions generous enough to make the job attractive anyway would be cheap compared to letting them take bribes so long as they are called salaries.