Stop me before I kill again...

The Tribune printed a rather pious and self-serving article by Senate Minority Leader, Harry Reid (D-NV), this morning. (I can't find it online)

In the piece he lamented the 'corruption' in Washington, DC, fondly recalling his days of cleaning the Mafia out of Las Vegas and suggesting we can do the same today in Washington. He offered such dubious 'solutions' as 'reinvigorating' enforcement of ethics rules.

I have no beef with Reid's premise: the money in Washington is pervasive and provides a system of incentives geared away from, not toward, the so-called common man (us). What it really comes down to is the fact that the vast majority of people we send to the Capitol, despite their disavowals, go for reasons of self-interest, not the public interest. As soon as they land, they're thinking about how to stay, which means the next campaign, which means raising money, which means the lobbyists, which means we're hosed.

But in some ways, I think people like Reid are a bigger problem than those who sit back and blatently reap the rewards. His self-righteous rants are completely cynical and partisan, given that, in the 2004 election cycle alone, he received over $2,000,000 from business and special interest groups. In fact, he might even be linked to the Abramoff scandal providing the fuel for his newfound desire to clean up DC. So, while he's denouncing the behavior publicly, behind the scenes he's at the trough.

This fellow who claims to want to 'clean up' government, is actually providing cover for more abuse. He'll lead the charge with hearings and phony "reforms" and when all is said and done, he will have only enabled the next bunch of pigs.