<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/9115e46d-8a13-4a99-b92f-cdd5ee12632d/EA1B27DA-940A-41B7-BE8D-01819062B7F9/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/07/10/al-franken-ad-calls-out-congess-revolving-door-to-k-street/" href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/07/10/al-franken-ad-calls-out-congess-revolving-door-to-k-street/" style="font-size: 11px;">www.crooksandliars.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/07/10/al-franken-ad-calls-out-congess-revolving-door-to-k-street/">A 2005 study by <A href="http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1999" linkindex="350"><EM>Public Citizen</EM> found that 43%</A> of Senators and Representatives who left office since 1998 went on to become lobbyists, and that was well before likes of ex-House <A href="http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/former-speaker-hastert-to-join-lobbying-firm-2008-05-30.html" linkindex="351" set="yes">Speaker Dennis Hastert</A> and ex-Senate <A href="http://thinkprogress.org/2007/11/26/lott-resign-lobbying/" linkindex="352">Majority Leader Trent Lott</A> abandoned their elected offices before their terms expired to join their ranks. Instead of running for office to serve their country and the public good, politicians (53% of Republicans and 33% of Democrats) increasingly have instead (ab)used their <A href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/26/AR2005072601562.html" linkindex="353">offices as a stepping-stone</A> so they can cash in, and it’s no secret we all suffer for it. </blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/07/10/al-franken-ad-calls-out-congess-revolving-door-to-k-street/"><div align="center"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q39J1S71n4w" height="329" width="400" wmode="opaque" quality="high" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/07/10/al-franken-ad-calls-out-congess-revolving-door-to-k-street/"><BLOCKQUOTE><P> In Washington they debate whether former members of Congress should wait one year or two years before they can become registered lobbyists. How about never? Right now hundreds of former Senators and Congressmen are lobbying for big oil and special interests. No wonder gas is at $4 a gallon. … </p> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P></P></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/EA1B27DA-940A-41B7-BE8D-01819062B7F9/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content8.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

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