We'll be talking more about the big win soon, but a couple quick notes on the remarkable passage of an independent Office of Congressional Ethics last night in the U.S. House.

First, the widespread editorial support was critical.  We kept a growing list of the papers that penned the reasons that Congress needs independent enforcement of its ethics rules, although I suspect we missed a few.  But getting USA Today, the New York Times, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, Roll Call and others in the span of just over a week -- that's not easy. And it's critical because we needed to create an environment in which Congress could not ignore the proposal without repercussions.

Second, the Speaker deserves whatever credit she gets for this and probably more.  If Nancy Pelosi hadn't initiated the ethics task force, decided that her caucus had to implement its suggestion of an independent enforcement body, and most importantly twisted arms of her fellow Democrats, this wouldn't have happened.  Plenty of members of the Democratic and Republican caucuses wavered on this and hoped it would go away.  Pelosi wouldn't let that happen, and neither would we.  And thank goodness it didn't.

Third, as much as I liked our Roll Call ad and suggestive YouTube video (below), I'm relieved that major league baseball will NOT have to investigate Congress. As great a player and personality as David Ortiz is, I'm not sure how well Big Papi would adapt to being an enforcement officer, plus the Red Sox need his bat in the lineup.

And fourth, let's not be under any illusions: we'll still need to be vigilant as watchdogs and to make sure that the proposal is enacted and the office functions properly.  The mission doesn't end, but this is a big boost and a landmark victory.  Thanks to those who helped make it happen.

For more, check out our press release.

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.

The House Democratic leadership appears to think you don't care about House ethics reform anymore.

They were all for it last fall, when control of Congress was in the balance and everyone was shocked that former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) had been chasing teenage pages for years, and no one had bothered to blow the whistle on him. That was when the Democrats promised they would stop the scandals that had plagued Capitol Hill for years and left members resigning from Congress in disgrace or heading to prison.

They said they would tighten ethics rules and lobbying requirements, and they did do that. But they have consistently ignored action on the most critical ethics problem: the toothless House Ethics Committee and its inability to punish members who break ethics rules.

Last month, the House was quick to claim victory on a package of ethics reforms it adopted as part of their much-ballyhooed "First 100 Hours." But as Congress began significant debate on Iraq and 2007 and 2008 appropriations, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) dealt a tough blow to further ethics reforms.

They did so by naming an ethics task force that is to recommend, by May 1, whether the House can enforce its own ethics rules. The alternative would be to create some outside office to carry out ethics enforcement and investigations.

Independent enforcement is a no-brainer. In two words: Mark Foley.

He gets super-super buddy-buddy with House pages not even half his age, members know what he's doing and ignore it FOR YEARS, and when the scandal erupts, the Ethics Committee can't find ANYONE to punish?

As predicted, John Murtha is toast.

The House Democratic caucus today named Steny Hoyer, D-MD, house majority leader over the ethically challenged Pennsylvania Democrat in a 149-86 vote.  

This vote will be considered a repudiation of incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, because she now must work with Hoyer, who sometimes has strayed from the party line. Pelosi and Hoyer have known each other for more than 40 years, but have been on the outs since competing in a nasty race for minority whip five years ago. Hoyer won that race.  

This race may also deeply split the House Democratic caucus before it even takes power (between factions who supported  Pelosi and Murtha or Hoyer) and damaging the party's chances to build its agenda over the next two years, if members remain angry at the tactics that apparently were used in the campaign for majority leader.

This is not looking very good.

The outspoken ways of Rep. John Murtha, D-PA, Nancy Pelosi's endorsed choice for House majority leader, may have just cost him his bid for House Democrats' No. 2 slot.

Roll Call (registration required) is reporting that Murtha, in a meeting with Democratic moderates yesterday, had less than flattering words for Pelosi's ethics and lobbying reform bill.

The Murtha quote was confirmed by three sources who attended the meeting.

Despite his unambiguous misgivings, Murtha told the Blue Dogs he would work to see the bill enacted in Congress because Pelosi is pushing it.

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.

If Nancy Pelosi had hoped for a good start as the presumed Speaker of the House in the next Congress, those plans have been cut short.

Today's papers are abuzz with comments about criticism directed at the California Democrat for endorsing Rep. John Murtha, D-PA, for majority leader.

Murtha's profile has risen as one of the critics of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war. But he's also been accused of favoring a lobbying firm that hired a former staffer and clients of his brother, Robert.

Like other members of Congress, "he is best known for turning earmarks into power," as the New York Times reported recently. Dealing from a seat in the back of the House chamber, known as the "Murtha Corner," the current ranking member on the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee "often delivers Democratic votes to Republican leaders in a tacit exchange for earmarks for himself and his allies," the Times reported.