No matter who wins, the next president promises to take back Washington from powerful interests and lobbyists.
It is the same stirring promise Congress made last year when — rocked by scandal and under new leadership — lawmakers passed what they trumpeted as some of the most significant ethics reforms in years.
Key among those reforms: rules requiring lawmakers, for the first time, to disclose their earmarks — federal dollars they were quietly doling out as favors.
But time after time, Congress exploited loopholes or violated those rules, a Seattle Times investigation has found. An in-depth examination of the 2008 defense bill found $8.5 billion in earmarks. Of those, 40 percent — $3.5 billion — were hidden.
And Congress broke its pledge — and President Bush’s challenge — to cut earmarks in half.
Yes, it was going to be the most ethical Congress in history, the Democrats promised. Keep that in mind when evaluating the promises you’re hearing now.