Heh. As a follow up to yesterday's news that Congress' favorite influence-peddler Jack Abramoff might be getting out of jail early we have this delightful item about how Abramoff has been spending his time in prison. He's caught the teaching bug and has been instructing other inmates in subjects such as, according to TPM Muckraker, "Parenting from a Distance," and "Cinema Studies." I hear an additional course, "Buying Congress for Dummies" is in the works for next semester. Enroll now!

Is Jack Abramoff going to get sprung from the pokey a little earlier than anticipated? Apparently folks at the Justice Department are seeking to have his sentence reduced in return for Abramoff's cooperation in their ongoing public corruption inquiry which has already ended the political careers of a handful of legislators.  He's currently serving a sentence in connection with another fraud charge, he's yet to be sentenced on the congressional stuff.

Who knows, maybe the curbs on ostentatious currying of favor with lawmakers inside the Beltway (no golf games funded by Exxon! No sandwiches!) have sent corporations and their lobbyists into overdrive because they're packing in enough partying (read: writing checks to candidates) during the conventions in Denver and the Twin Cities to stay hungover well into October.