Drooling candidates crowd around money trough

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

By JOEL CONNELLY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST

In weather forecasters' terminology, a huge hot-air mass settled over America Monday night as Washington, D.C., and New York-based cable TV pundits opined on the "scandal" of CBS' questionable memos about George W. Bush's 1972 National Guard Service.

Not a word was spoken about a "scandal" going on daily this week in our nation's capital, with far more impact on the citizenry than what the Bush dauphin did 32 years ago.

The two major political parties -- particularly ruling Republicans and corporate allies -- are using Congress' waning days to hit up political action committees and lobbyists at a dizzying clip.

Unless you are in the upper 1 percent of America's taxpayers -- or a pharmaceutical executive whose company will reap billions from Medicare "reform" -- the special interest purchase of Congress is hitting at your pocketbook. If you are among the 506,000 people in Washington without health insurance (up 53,000 in the past two years) it may also strike your heart, kidneys and other parts of the body.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/191793_joel22.html