According to a Post piece today, at least.

The indispensable element of Congressional ethics reform is an independent body to investigate and report on complaints - something like the Office of Public Integrity proposed in the Lieberman Amendment to the Senate ethics bill S 1.

(The amendment was rejected 27-71 on January 18.

Not the best of signs!)

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Yesterday, I suggested that Pelosi does irony.

Now, I'm not quite so sure.

From the Posttoday:

Mark your calendars! The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's first invite of the new year is to a "Swearing In Brunch and Celebration Concert" honoring Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi on Jan. 4...

The concert at the National Building Museum features Tony Bennett, Carole King and Wyclef Jean. Should be a most excellent show, though perhaps not worth each PAC's $15,000 "requested contribution" for two tickets.

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The ethics bill is the first of the 100 Hours bills, and therefore the first chance we have to gauge the legislative performance of the Dem leadership in the 110th House.

In substance, presentation and every which way, the ethics bill will set the tone.

The Timesyesterday had news both potentially good and potentially bad.

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I really hope that the Pelosi and the rest of the House leadership have been working out the angles for weeks.

This is what I've managed in the space of a day or two:

Last time we saw a CBC/Pelosi confrontation, it was the dog that didn't bark. Pelosi passed on Hastings for HIC, and the CBC seemed to suck it up.

Uh oh.

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Brer Goddard, as flagged on BB, has the text of the memo sent by Minority Leader (to be) Boehner to his defeated troops last week.

I can hardly think but that the memo was written with the intention of being leaked - and it's certainly not the worst prose I've seen emanating from the House leaderships.

Of course, it's political prose, and therefore chock full of bullshit. But worthy of study nothwithstanding.

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