Their biggest challenge, in the end, is that they don't want to reform.

"The problem is that power corrupts, and we simply have too much of it," [Arizona Republican Representative Jeff] Flake said.

You think?

Even President Bush is getting into the appearing-to-reform act.

Abramoff raised more than $100,000 for the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign, making him an honorary Bush "Pioneer." But the campaign is giving up only $6,000, which came directly from Abramoff, his wife and one of the Indian tribes the lobbyist represented. The money will be donated to the American Heart Association.

I suppose that means Bush is less than 6% repentant.

All but three of the 24 politicians giving up the funds are Republicans. The three Democrats -- Sens. Max Baucus (Mont.), Richard J. Durbin (Ill.) and Byron L. Dorgan (N.D.) -- have pledged to shed a total of $97,000 in contributions. A spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said Reid has no intention of shedding the $47,000 he has received from Abramoff's lobbying team and tribal clients.

"Abramoff was a Republican operative, and this is a Republican scandal," said Reid spokesman Jim Manley. "Any effort by Republicans to drag Democrats into this is doomed to failure."

We'll see how that plays. It's not like Senator Reid has an impeccable progressive voting record.

But there's one thing the Post is not mentioning: Indian tribes were giving to Democrats before they were Abramoff's clients. In fact, Abramoff got the tribes to give less to Democrats than usual.

Newt Gingrich says Tom DeLay must go.

"At some point it goes 'Tilt,' " Gingrich said. "You don't have to say Tom is guilty of anything to say they need a new majority leader. A very significant number of House members said to me [Wednesday] morning that the entire world has changed in the last few days" because of the Abramoff scandal.

The world looks different when the chickens come home to roost. And it's even worse when they have a political bird flu.

According to court documents, an unidentified House member received several benefits and favors from Abramoff in exchange for a series of official actions. One of those was the placement of a statement in the Congressional Record critical of the former owner of SunCruz, Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis.

Aides to Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) have acknowledged that he was the unidentified congressman. Ney has said he did nothing wrong, and that he was duped by Abramoff.

Ney translated: "I'm shocked -- shocked! -- that there's corruption on K Street!"

These kinds of weaselings by Republicans regarding their "culture of corruption" are drawing harsh criticism from Gingrich, who seems to be positioning himself for a return to public life.

"There are a series of behaviors, a series of attitudes, a series of crony-like activities that are not defensible, and no Republican should try to defend them,'' he said. "The danger for Republicans is to pretend this isn't fundamental or to pretend that they can get by passively without undertaking real reform.''

But so far, all we're seeing is posing -- in the form of "give-backs" and talk about "reform" legislation.

But it is not clear that simply shedding Abramoff's cash will get lawmakers out of the lobbyists' shadow. According to Abramoff's guilty plea, the contributions were aimed at winning specific favors, such as torpedoing legislation or securing federal contracts.

"You just can't give the money back and forget about what the money was for," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

With that in mind, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) asked Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) just before Thanksgiving to draft a package of lobbying restrictions, according to Robert L. Traynham II, a Santorum spokesman. That effort will run parallel to a push from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who has drafted his own lobbying legislation. McCain's partner in an earlier campaign finance effort, Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), also has a proposal.

"I will be working with colleagues this session to examine and act on any necessary changes to improve transparency and accountability for our body when it comes to lobbying," Frist said in a statement yesterday. "Some members have already made recommendations to me, or introduced legislation. I look forward to working to secure the continued integrity of the Senate."

I look forward to seeing any integrity at all. It's been a while.

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