Why did the House of Representatives even bother to pass the sham “ethics reforms” that they passed yesterday? The bill is a joke, and it virtually screams out: “Hey, don’t you know who we are? We’re Congressmen, and by virtue of our exalted position we deserve to be feted with free meals and golf games! You got a problem with that, buddy? Well, kiss my grits. Only the hoi polloi worry about ethics. We in Congress are above all that.”

Aside from the paltry details of the bill, what’s so discouraging is that this bill again shows the House leaders to not be men of their words. The key sentence fragment from the front-page WashPost news story sums it all nicely: “Neither [House nor Senate] version [of the bill] is as tough on lobbyists and lawmakers as Republican leaders promised in January….”

The arrogance and lack of seriousness of this Congress is astonishing.