An editorial in today's New York Times examines Dennis Hastert's new job at a major D.C. lobbying firm -- and finds it exemplifies the "revolving door"" syndrome:

Mr. Hastert, the G.O.P. stalwart who presided during the Jack Abramoff lobbying corruption debacle and the Mark Foley House page scandal, joined a blue-chip lobbying firm this week as a “strategic counsellor” at an annual salary estimated at $500,000-plus. Mr. Hastert, who has set the sky-box level for politicians second-careering, joins the more prized Congressional and executive alumni who schmooze old pals still in power without the need to formally register as day-to-day lobbyists.

We never really expected Mr. Hastert to indulge the Jeffersonian fantasy and humbly return to his old calling as a high school wrestling coach. Still, his new job as access-enabler highlights the capital reality that old incumbents never die; they just backslap away.

More than 200 former members of Congress have crowded through the revolving door to lobby in recent years. More are lining up at the pay window. Congress’s designated ethics monitors already are bending the rules to let incumbents job shop their private-sector value while still on the privileged elected perch.

Capitol Hill alumni burnish their clout by marshaling the lobbying industry’s fund-raising for cooperative incumbents waiting behind. Inside Washington, none of this is surprising. Outside Washington, voters need to confront candidates who demonize the lobbyists who are actually silent underwriters of their candidacies.

To his credit, Senator Barack Obama has ordered the Democratic National Committee to no longer accept donations from lobbyists and political action committees. Senator John McCain should follow suit.

USA Today reports that Randy Scheunemann continued his job as a lobbyist while advising  the McCain for President campaign.  CREW's Melanie Sloan was asked to untangle the ethical conflicts and offered some sage advice: 

Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a liberal-leaning watchdog group, said Scheunemann still has a conflict of interest because his small firm continues to represent foreign clients. The records that show Scheunemann ceased representing foreign countries as of March 1 also show his partner, Michael Mitchell, remains registered to represent the three nations. Mitchell said Tuesday that Scheunemann no longer has any role with Orion Strategies but declined to say whether Scheunemann still is receiving income or profits from the firm.

"I can see why the firm wouldn't want to give up the income," Sloan said. "But you can either work for a presidential campaign or be a lobbyist, but not both."

The clamor for real ethics reform is coming from editorials across the country.  Last Friday, the Lincoln Star Journal in Nebraska weighed in: 

Giddy with midterm election victory euphoria, Democrats, particularly in the House of Representatives, are loudly trumpeting plans for a better world, not the least ambitious of which is ethics reform and limiting the excesses of lobbying.

We desperately wish success in this endeavor to future House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, of course, but pardon us if we don’t cheer just yet. We’ve heard that song before.

CREW has also heard that song.  It's our hope that the House doesn't let lobbying reform constitute the entire realm of ethics reform.  The current House leadership tolerated the illegalities of senior members like Duke Cunningham and Bob Ney.  Those members, both of whom are convicted felons now,  never faced the House Ethics Committee.  Congress has to police itself.

In the wake of elections where voters expressed strong dissatisfaction with the DC culture of corruption, Democrats have made lobbyist reform a priority:

The Democratic agenda would ban gifts and travel paid for by lobbyists; double, to two years, the time in which lawmakers and senior officials are barred from lobbying their former offices; force lobbyists to disclose more of their activities; and shut down efforts like the Republican "K Street Project" - a forced alliance with lobbying firms, named for the Washington street that is home to many lobbying offices.

Both the House and Senate passed changes in lobbying laws and rules this year under Republican leadership, but the two chambers were never able to bridge their differences and produce final legislation. There's no guarantee the Democrats will do any better.

There is also no guarantee that Congress will deal with ethical issues affecting members, not just lobbyists: 

The congressional watchdog groups are trying to pressure the new leadership to approve one change that is not now on the agenda: creation of a body of legal experts from outside Congress to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by lawmakers and their employees.

Melanie Sloan, director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said "creating more and more rules for lobbyists is not the answer to congressional ethics problems. Members themselves need to follow ethics rules and suffer serious consequences for violating those rules."

Miller, the Washington lobbyist, agreed. He said that in addition to Abramoff and his former employees, "It's members of Congress and congressional staffers who are going to prison. Maybe there should be more ethics training for those folks and not pointing the finger at the lobbying community."

Congress needs to clean its own house.  And keep it clean.