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Remember Dita Beard? Dictionaries published in the 1970s used her picture next to the entry for quid pro quo.

In 1972, Ms. Beard was a colorful ITT lobbyist caught up to her eyebrows in a scandal involving a $400,000 bribe to the Republicans for their convention that year, in return for the Nixon administration's dropping of an anti-trust suit against them.

The scandal resulted in a 1974 law that barred corporations from "donating" cash for political conventions.

But corporations had no trouble finding a loophole in the law, and today they honor Ms. Beard and ITT's measly $400k bribe by giving tens of millions of dollars for the conventions of both parties — an estimated $112 million this year:

[P]ublic records show that nearly 200 pharmaceutical, information technology, automobile, airline, and other corporations have donated at least $112 million to the "host committees" organizing the 2008 political extravaganzas in Denver and St. Paul. In addition, they are bankrolling countless parties and closed-door receptions for lobbyists and members of Congress attending the conclaves.

In the process, critics charge, both parties are flouting the intent of federal laws designed to prevent special interests from gaining undue influence with elected officials.

"Gaining undue influence"? Nooooooooo — they're just being good, patriotic Americans.

Have I mentioned lately that we need to take the effing money out of politics?