Soooooooeey

The non-profit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released its second annual listing of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress today.

It featured three Republican senators -- Burns of Montana, Frist of Tennessee, and Santorum of Pennsylvania -- and 17 House members. Three of the 17 are Democrats: Alan Mollohan of West Virginia, William Jefferson of Louisiana, and Maxine Waters of California. The remaining 14 are Republicans.

Californians are disproportionately represented in this rogues' gallery. Others on this elite list besides Waters include Ken Calvert, Richard Pombo, John Doolittle, Gary Miller, and my own Congressional rep, Jerry Lewis, current Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, a position he moved up to from his chairmanship of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

He's currently under investigation by the feds for his close association with lobbyist Bill Lowery, an earmark specialist, and a questionable land deal.

Besides the 20 most corrupt, the report also lists "five to watch;" Congresspersons who are on the verge of breaking into the top 20. This year's roster includes four obligatory Republicans as well as the current favorite of liberals and anti-war types, the Democrat John Murtha of Pennsylvania. Murtha is also a favorite of the Pentagon, and has been intimately involved with the brass hats' weapons procurement procedures for many years.

This edition of the Most Corrupt report, entitled "Beyond DeLay" and thick as a big-city phone book, "documents the egregious, unethical and possibly illegal activities of the most tainted members of Congress," according to its editors.

Besides noting Tom DeLay's recent departure, the report informs readers that "Two members have been removed from last year’s list of 13. Rep. Randy 'Duke' Cunningham (R-CA) is now serving an eight-year jail term for bribery and Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) has agreed to plead guilty to crimes that will likely result in a minimum two-year prison term."

"CREW created this exhaustive go-to guide on corruption in Congress to expose and hold accountable those members of Congress who believe they are above the law," says Melanie Sloan, executive director of the citizens' group. "The officials named in this report have chosen to enrich themselves and their families and friends by abusing the power of their office, rather than work for the public good.

"Congress persists in abdicating its constitutional responsibility to police itself, opting to ignore the ethical and legal transgressions of its members. Luckily for the public, at least the Department of Justice still believes that political corruption is worth pursuing," she added.