The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, also known as S. 1, or the ethics and lobbying reform bill, is not everything we had hoped it to be. And it's nowhere near what we'd like it to be despite its lofty title and low number.

That's all right.

If the Senate gives its approval to S. 1 this week, as it's expected to do, Congress will finally have produced tighter ethics and lobbying rules after being dragged through the mud of the Abramoff, Foley, Ney and Cunningham scandals of years past. And we'll soon be reminded of why we went to this trouble, when Rep. William Jefferson, D-LA, goes to trial.

So now Rep. William "Dollar Bill" Jefferson, D-LA (or D-Freezer, if you're the Feds) has been indicted on federal bribery, racketeering and money-laundering charges.

Aside from the obvious (never stash 90 grand in your freezer or try to solicit bribes while holding elected office), do you think Congress, and specifically, the Democratic leadership, will learn anything from this?

Here's a suggestion: You campaigned to create an "ethical Congress" but then you came up short on reform, specifically tracking the money that pays for "Astroturf lobbying" and a two-year "cooling off" period for yourselves and key staff.

But you've got one more shot to make things better. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, has a task force out there led by Michael Capuano, D-MA, to study whether the House should have some independent ethics oversight.

Roll Call asks an excellent question:  when it comes to Members of Congress who come under criminal investigation, what is the rule for stepping down from important committee posts?  The answer, simply put, is that there isn't one.

Well, uh...that just sounds like an invitation to do nothing...

Oh, and what do you know?!

House Democrats want to be seen as the standard-bearers of ethics reform in government - but their efforts seemed to have stalled somewhere after the "100 hours" ended.

From today's Post:

Let the excuses begin!  There's something called an "options menu" out there...and this gem from task force Chairman Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA):

Pardon me?  Did I misread that?  After DeLay, Ney, Cunningham, Jefferson, and Foley, they can't possibly delude themselves that the current ethics process works and doesn't need outside enforcement.

Or can they?

Follow me inside to read what the watchdogs are saying, including a quote from our own Sarah Dufendach.

Meet Inmate # 28882-016:

Inmate # 28882-016 is 52 years old.  He was born in Wheeling, WV, attended OSU, and has been married twice, with two children.  He also has some crazy bad hair and a smarmy smile, but that's immaterial.  He had a long career he enjoyed; it was profitable, and he was good at it.  Sounds pretty average and benign, right?

But then Mr. 28882-016 fell in with the wrong crowd.  He made some bad decisions, and eventually they caught up with him.  He betrayed everyone who had ever trusted him, betrayed the very purpose of his long and storied career.  Today, Mr. 28882-016 reported to federal prison to begin a 30-month sentence on felony charges.

And I'm jumping with joy that this menace is off the streets.

Who is this man, and why do I harbor such a deep dislike for him?  This man who has apologized, admitted his guilt, and sought treatment for addiction?  The man who, in a farewell letter yesterday to friends, said, with complete disregard of basic grammar rules, the following (emphasis mine)?

Bob Ney: Give. Me. A. Break.

Well, the Abramoff circus isn't quite over; in fact, it appears to have a lot of life left in it.  The latest name to surface is Will Heaton, Bob Ney's former chief of staff, who just agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud.

Heaton was involved in the scandal, according to The Hill, from August 2002 through August 2004.

Follow me inside for what this may mean for other members of Congress and their staffers...

Bob Ney, go directly to jail.  Do not pass go, do not collect any golf trips to Scotland.

Thirty months, plus two years probation and a paltry $6,000 fine and alcohol rehabilitation.  However...

Trust.  The trust placed in a lawmaker by the people who vote for him or her cannot be overvalued.  Too often, elected officials fail to understand that, or take it for granted, treating constituents like mere annoyances to be trifled with while keeping the eye on the bigger prize - more power, more money.

As Bob Ney has found out, that's not what the citizenry is there for.  That's not what prompts a voter to go to the polls and pull a lever, punch a chad, fill in a circle, connect an arrow, or plod around a computer screen and hope their vote is counted.  Trust.  If you abuse it, you'll pay.  It may take longer than it should, but eventually you'll be made to pay with your job, your credibility and reputation, your pocketbook, and your physical freedom.

Just ask ex-Representative Robert William Ney (OH-18) about those consequences.

After years of multimillion-dollar deals and living the gilded life of a well-connected Washington lobbyist, Jack Abramoff's next job will pay far less: 12 cents an hour.

The Associated Press reports that the former lobbyist at the center of an influence-peddling scandal in Washington entered a minimum-security prison in Cumberland, Md., this morning.

Abramoff arrived at the prison about 6:30 a.m. today. He's expected to serve nearly six years after being convicted in Florida earlier this year on charges stemming from a fraudulent, multimillion dollar deal to buy casino ships.

He's awaiting sentencing in Washington for corrupting government officials and their staff members. The charges arose from years of work on Capitol Hill in which Abramoff gave out tickets to sporting events, meals and trips. He's also under investigation for bilking Indian tribes he represented out of  $82 million.