Have you ever wondered what exactly embattled, scandal-ridden politicians have to pay in legal fees?  The Washington Post has a partial list of legals fees for the first three months of 2007 alone:

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.

The question Jeffrey Birnbaum asks in today's Washington Post is "Will the corruption issue go national?"  He answers it himself by considering the growing list of familiar Abramoff-linked names in electoral trouble, along with non-Abramoff-linked names that are finding their campaigns in undesirable waters (such as Ohio Senator Mike DeWine).

Tom DeLay.  Bob Ney.  Conrad Burns.  Ralph Reed.  Why is it that these Abramoff-associated names evoke more visceral reactions than other names linked to corruption, such as Jefferson, Doolittle, Mollohan, and Harris?

Here's a quick and dirty answer - isolated incidents of corruption are deplorable, and the electorate will punish those at fault.  But the Abramoff scandal carries the connotation of a conspiracy, which permeates throughout an entire party and casts doubt on the integrity of our political system as a whole, and that is unforgivable.

It's unfortunate for upstanding members of the Republican party, who for all intents and purposes had little or nothing to do with Abramoff and his cronies.  The Abramoff stink is threatening to contaminate their campaigns just the same, and it's unclear at this point if there's any escape.

Maybe it's finally sinking in that voters aren't so keen on their elected officials peddling influence, funnelling dirty money, taking bribes, and selling access.  It seems as though Ralph Reed's primary loss in Georgia was a wake-up call.  Today's Washington Post has a good article on how the corruption issue is worrying both parties:

I especially like how they'll consider effective lobby reform as a "political cover," but not on its merits.  Democrats discussed are Reps. Jefferson (LA) and Mollohan (WV).  The other Republicans mentioned are Reps. Lewis, Doolittle, and Pombo, all from California; Tom DeLay makes a cameo appearance.

It's a good breakdown of exactly why politicians should care about scandals and corruption.  Let's hope it's a lesson that sticks with them.