NEVER SHOULD HAVE LET THEM OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY BUBBLE:

Promise to Shore Up Ethics Loses Speed: GOP Schedule Slips In House; Senate Panels to Act Soon (Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, February 19, 2006, 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.

But now they do not anticipate final approval of such a measure until late March at the earliest.

The primary holdup is in the House. Republican lawmakers left Thursday for a week-long recess without agreeing on a proposal that would serve as a starting point for debate. [...]

Talks on the issue among House Republicans will go on through the break and continue when lawmakers return at the end of this month, Bonjean said.

Things won't speed up now that they've been back in their districts and realized no one cares or has ever heard of Abramoff.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 19, 2006 5:24 PM