The more the merrier.

• Author: Peters, Charles
• Position: TILTING at windmills

It is a sad fact of Washington life that members of Congress, however ungifted they may seem in other respects, are geniuses in finding ways to evade ethics rules. Consider the new ethics law passed this year. It provides that lobbyists cannot pay for parties for a member of Congress during a national convention. These parties have become a favorite way for lobbyists to court legislators.

Here's how the Ethics...