The Golden Rule of Politics

If politics is show biz for ugly people, the U.S. Congress may also be a comedy club for performers without any sense of irony. Even as any number of elected officials rail against Enron execs for cashing out just before that shell game got busted, they're trying to swing a sweetheart deal for themselves under the uplifting and misleading phrase, "campaign finance reform." Arguably the most openly self-serving effort in this latest attempt to restrict political speech comes from Robert Torricelli, New Jersey's groupie senator: Torricelli wants to force broadcasters to give pols the absolute lowest ad rates available.

Which reminds us about the Golden Rule: He who has the gold makes the rules. Except, of course, in Olympic figure skating. There, it falls to judges from Russia, China, Poland, Ukraine, and France.