Two ledes for house passage of lobby reform story, about which we report at this blog, you decide which tells more and gets to the heart of the matter pronto.
One:
The House scrambled yesterday to pass a watered-down bill that purported to end lobbying and earmark abuses, but in the end will not do nearly enough to change the culture of Capitol Hill back-scratching that helps fuel the growth of government and encourages corruption. One sign of the bill’s weakness was that it passed on an overwhelming vote of 411 to 8. As one wag put it, “Anything that passes by that margin is either in favor of the equivalent of motherhood or toothless.”
WASHINGTON – Fighting Republican charges they have done little this year, Democrats in Congress began a rush Tuesday to pass major bills before the fast-approaching August recess, starting with House approval of a lobbying reform bill on a 411-8 vote.
If you’re guessing, yes, this second one is on page one of Chi Trib. (The first is in the subscription-only — $4/mo. — Opinion Journal’s Political Diary.)
Blithe Spirit 