The New York Times, 24/4/2008

Resisting every inch of the way, the powerful National Association of Manufacturers has finally agreed to follow Congress’s new ethics law and disclose which of its members have been funding its lobbying operations on Capitol Hill.

Welcome to the sunshine club. Like other lobbying groups, the trade association must disclose to Congress and the taxpayers which of its 11,000 members have been essential to developing lobbying strategies or contributed payments of $5,000 or more each quarter to the effort. Until this week, N.A.M. has refused to do so, arguing that such disclosure somehow violates its privacy rights and its rights to free speech.

Tracking the quid pro quo money flow in Washington is an urgent priority and long overdue. Last year, Congress tightened disclosure requirements for lobbyists’ war chests — but only after a raft of scandals. It is encouraging that the courts have so far rejected N.A.M.’s arguments. The law was plainly written to smoke out stealth lobbying organizations, not to protect Washington insiders.

Unfortunately, sunshine remains only a sometimes thing in the capital. One of the biggest problems in the midst of this year’s billion-dollar campaign is the failure of the Federal Election Commission to write the rules for what was supposed to be another breakthrough reform: full disclosure of the multiple donations bundled by lobbyists to court candidates.

That has been stymied by the tooth-and-claw standoff in the Senate that has left the F.E.C. short four of its six members and without the quorum it needs to do its work. Senate Republicans demand that the F.E.C. vacancies be filled as a package, the better to protect a particularly unqualified party wheelhorse. That means there is no official referee for any of this year’s campaign mayhem. Let the voters beware.