The Don Young intern guide

Some interns in the office of pork-barreling Alaska Rep. Don Young put together an "intern survival guide," including tips for dealing with the congressman's wife. But, as the Wall Street Journal reports, the guide's reference to an "A-Team" -- people whose phone calls are to be put directly through to whomever they call -- includes the names of several lobbyists:

Some, like [Rick] Alcalde, are tied to an ongoing investigation into a $10 million earmark Young secured for Coconut Road in Florida. Alcalde, a transportation lobbyist, worked for a real estate developer who sought the earmark and was a major financial contributor to Young’s campaign. [Randy] DeLay is the Houston-based lobbyist brother of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, [Jack] Ferguson is a former chief of staff to Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, who is also under federal investigation.

(Via Memeorandum.) Someone said to me the other night that what happened to the Republican congressional majority after 1995 is they saw how the Democrats had done business and figured, "Hey, that's the way it's done." Of course, the people who had elected them had other ideas, and once it became apparent that the Republicans were no different than the Democrats, the people figured they might as well just stay home on Election Day. The epitaph on the tombstone of the conservative revolution should read, "Business as usual."