Monday, July 23, 2007

Ethics & Lobbying: Novak Op-Ed in a (Time) Warp

Bob Novak writes in today's Washington Post that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), is "plotting to strip anti-earmark transparency from the final version of ethics legislation passed by the Senate and House." While Novak does not identify -- and it is impossible to guess -- what earmark provision he has in mind, he nevertheless chastizes Reid, warning that frayed Senate relations "may get worse if plans to eviscerate ethics legislation are pursued."

Apparently, Mr. Novak didn't get the memo. His fellow GOP Senators are so annoyed with DeMint's months-long antics delaying a conference on the ethics and lobbying bill that, as Congressional Quarterly put it in a headline ($) last week: McConnell May Be Ready to Help Pull the Plug on DeMint:

... now McConnell is hinting that he might look the other way if Democrats try to get around DeMint's objection to a conference by having both chambers pass identical bills. That would eliminate the need for a conference on the lobbying measure.

"From a leadership point of view, my preference would be to go to conference," McConnell said, but added, "Either way, I think we ought to wrap the bill up."

Ironically, it appears that Sen. DeMint is doing his part to improve frayed relations among Senate leaders. And that may result in passage of the ethics and lobbying bill that DeMint has kept in the deep freeze lo these many months.