As Greenwald notes, nothing about the interaction between former Congress members, Congressional staffers, current members and the telecoms is new regarding the way money writes legislation in Washington, but the various analyses he cites shine a bright light on the way things actually work and how bankrupt the process is.
One note of hope: activism against the stalled legislation has so far worked and there is one TV ad campaign aimed at constituents of one of the most corrupt Blue Dogs hitting him where it hurts in an election year.
In one sense, it's just extraordinary how seamlessly and relentlessly the wheels of this dirty process churn. But in another sense, it's perhaps even more remarkable -- given the forces lined up behind telecom amnesty -- that those who have been working against it, with far fewer resources and relying largely on a series of disruptive tactics and ongoing efforts to mobilize citizen anger, have been able to stop it so far.
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