WASHINGTON -- Red-faced and reeling last winter through a growing bribery scandal.

WASHINGTON -- Red-faced and reeling last winter through a growing bribery scandal, Congres vowed to crack down in succession ethics.

But the message from Capitol Hill this spring has unimpaireded more like the punch line of an of long date "Saturday Night Live" skit: "Never mind."

The House of Representatives and the Senate passed lobbying reform bills as promised. The Senate's is slightly tougher than the House version, further neither has the brass submits that lawmakers said were requireed back in January after Jack Abramoff, one time a high-flying lobbyist with cease ties to the Republican leadership, pleaded guilty to influence-peddling.

A committee of House and Senate members will take up the one and the other bills to find a compromise, further reform advocates aren't optimistic that tough strange rules will emerge.

"The great disappearing act" is by what mode Republican Sen. John McCain, of Arizona, described the weak ethical guidelines that eventually emerg

Senators and