I liked the YouTube/CNN debate on Monday night--while we still heard a fair amount of typical politicobabble, I felt like the questions were tougher and more personal and the answers were correspondingly more honest.  Unfortunately, we heard a couple questions about how candidates would change the culture in Washington or work for bipartisanship, but we didn't hear a question about corruption, ethics, or money in politics. (Even though we know that it matters to a great many voters.)

Enter Joe Biden.  He again took an opening to say explicitly that "if you want change, support my plan to publicly finance all elections."

Boom!  If only it had been the question he was asked, then we might have heard others' answers to how to solve the problem of wealthy special interests ruling Washington.  But kudos to Joe.

And Anderson Cooper was right there to... shut him up.  Thanks Anderson--you're a delight.  Check it out yourself--it happens from minute 1:20 until about minute 1:21.5, so don't blink.

Yesterday, Common Cause Maine's Jon Bartholomew stood with US Rep. Tom Allen (D-ME) to talk about the House Democrats new ethics rules being voted on today.  It's a good package, but it will ultimately fail without enforcement, as similar rules enacted in 1995 failed.  Today, in the WaPo, Sen. Barack Obama writes about the key to ethics reform, an independent commission to make sure Congress follows its own ethics rules. And the NY Times chimes in with its own pitch for independent oversight of congressional ethics.  Here's some excerpts:

Senator Obama in the Post:

And, the NY Times: Paramount is the need to create an independent office for ethics enforcement to end the clubbiness that more often than not covers up or excuses abuses.