The central figure in an Ohio campaign finance scandal that reached as high as the White House was sentenced yesterday to 27 months in prison. Tom Noe, a Republican fundraiser, was convicted on charges related to his use of friends to funnel personal money to George W. Bush's re-election campaign in an effort to court favor with the President.

Noe raised $100,000 for Bush's campaign, earning entrance into the elite "Pioneers" group of donors who bundled major contributions on behalf of Bush's campaign.  Noe circumvented personal contribution limits by funneling his own money through friends on his way towards buying attention in Washington.  The scandal, which swept up notable figures across the state and caused the Bush campaign to file false financial disclosure reports, has had a deleterious impact on the credibility of several Ohio office holders, including Governor Bob Taft.

Though the Bush campaign donated the $4,000 it received from Noe and his wife to charity, the funneled cash was not similarly donated.  

If nothing else, Noe's story is evidence that Jack Abramoff and his coterie of legislative lapdogs are not alone in the practice of influence-peddling.  As long as the campaign finance system is so easily exploited for personal gain, it will be - and often perfectly legally.