Bob Ney reported to prison yesterday to begin serving his 2+ years sentence on federal corruption charges stemming from his relationship with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. His former chief of staff William Heaton pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection with the same corruption inquiry.

Financial Times reports on efforts by presidential candidate Barack Obama to preserve the opportunity to opt into the presidential public financing system if he becomes the Democratic nominee while still fundraising for the primary and general election as if he were going to be privately financed. It's an interesting commentary on candidates being forced into the big money game in order to remain viable.

"American democracy should not force those who seek its highest office to prostrate themselves for hours upon end cadging campaign money. It is a waste of valuable time that should be spent listening to everyday citizens, not to special pleaders." That is, in a nutshell, the argument The Boston Globe makes for revitalizing the presidential public financing system, and it's right on.

Embattled Rep. John Doolittle(R-CA) is trying to get back on the good side of his constituents after barely keeping his seat in the 2006 mid-term elections. Trying to put his ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and allegations of unethical fundraising activity behind him, he's promising greater accountability, and more attention to constituents. A fine gesture, but can he be for real?

The presidential election is starting to feel a little like the holiday season: it comes earlier each time, costs more, and you really get sick of the commercials. Except when the elections are over, rather than being left with a mountain of holiday debt, you've got a President in debt to wealthy special interests.

It. Never. Ends. The Hill covers the sad reality of Washington: on the heels of promises to clean up Congress, freshman congressmen and women are out on the special interest fundraising circuit -- not because they want to be, but because if you want to survive re-election you have to raise money from the moment you win your seat, even before you're sworn in.

Hillary Clinton's decision to pass on public financing in her presidential bid sparked many a declaration that the system was dead, and it's true that the efficacy of the reform intended to reduce corruption has faded over time: all the more reason to look at ways to update it for the future, before we find ourselves staring down the barrel of $1 billion dollar campaigns.

The Washington Post is calling it an "invisible primary" - the lead-up to the 2008 presidential race in which the competitive candidates will be chosen on the basis of how much early money they can bring in from a small, elite circle of wealthy power players. You can't write a check for $2,000 and promise 100 friends who can do the same? Then your opinion means nothing.

Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi impersonated a lobbyist and gained entry into Sen. Conrad Burns' birthday fundraiser -- and then wrote about it!

Taibbi pretends he's the lobbyist for a Russian oil company wanting to drill for oil in the Grand Canyon. It's hilarious. You'll laugh, and then you'll cry when you think about the fact that this is how our democracy works. 

GOP candidates are publicly disagreeing with President Bush and his policies because of his low poll numbers but apparently have no qualms about using him or the vice president as a means to raise campaign cash. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, this how the White House is faring on behalf of GOP candidates: