In which I channel Kent Brockman

You have got to be kidding me. Seriously. I must totally be misreading this article. Because it is inconceivable that this is legal. Or rather, I can conceive that this is legal, and that makes me despair for our system of government.

In short, it appears that the soon-to-be-former senior Senator from Alaska was the spigot from which a whole slew of lobbyists filled their glasses. The only spigot. There was a lobbying industry that generated tens of millions of dollars in fees dedicated solely, 100% to lobbying him. Staffed largely by former members of his staff. One of them apparently wrote this charming thought:

“They [voters] don’t understand the connection between Ted and the way of life they have come to take for granted,” read one e-mail message circulating among former Stevens staff members on K Street. “For those of us long on the dole, the coming reality will take some getting used to.”

Oh, those wretched, ungrateful voters. Of all the unmitigated gall. To kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, just because he's flagrantly corrupt.

I find it simply astounding that, not only is this all (apparently) totally legal, but that the people involved have the stones to complain that it's over. That they apparently never accounted for the fact that their venal and unapologetic cash cow might finally get voted out (or, let's face it, die...dude is old). I fear that we're only going to see K Street go from faux conservative posturing to faux liberal posturing, with an accompanying change of hue from red to blue, but I have hopes that Obama meant what he said about lobbying reform. Because the hubris on display in the article is just revolting.

(By the bye, for those who don't get the subject header, check quote #4.)