House Has Written the Book on Ethics

It used to be that a member of Congress could count on earning a few bucks on the side with a good book deal -- but those days have long been over. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi-- who as the first woman speaker has quite a bit to say -- is about to sign a deal with Doubleday for her memoirs, but no money will change hands.

Not that Pelosi (D-Calif.) needs any -- she's worth many millions. Nonetheless, since 1995, House rules have prohibited members who pen books from receiving advances. This is probably a good thing.

In 1989, Democratic House Speaker Jim Wright of Texas was forced to resign after Republican colleague Newt Gingrich criticized his behavior, in part by drawing attention to an oddly lucrative book deal Wright landed -- $55,000 in royalties for a book published by a friend, worked on by a congressional employee and purchased by lobbyists.

Gingrich must have forgotten this when -- one month before he was sworn is as House speaker -- he struck a $4.5 million deal with publisher HarperCollins for two novels. A House ethics committee report said the huge deal created "the impression of exploiting one's office for personal gain." Gingrich gave up the advance and accepted only royalties.

Gingrich's dubious deal pushed the House to adopt a change, banning book advances but allowing royalties. (Senators can accept advances.) Freshman Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) -- the only Iraq war veteran in Congress -- was able to accept a $100,000 advance for a memoir after he was elected last year because he had not been sworn in yet. But House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) received no advance for co-writing "The Plan: Big Ideas for America," and will give any royalties to charity, a spokeswoman said.

Publishing sources say that some newer members of Congress are not even aware of the rule and get a rude awakening when they try market a book idea.

Truth be told, the rule is almost a moot point for most House members.

"Most mainstream New York publishers will only consider books from House members with a national reputation and, therefore, national buyers," said Robert Barnett, an attorney who has represented Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) in book deals. "The Senate is a different story."

Johnson's Challenging Return

Democrats and staffers for Sen. Tim Johnson have for months been preparing for the senator's return to work, expected sometime after Labor Day. Felled by a brain hemorrhage in December, the Democrat from South Dakota has been slowly recovering, with daily physical therapy.

A spokesman was circumspect about the date that the Senate can expect him, saying only that it will be sometime this fall. And not a moment too soon, as his absence has highlighted the fragile majority the Democrats hold. The Senate has 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans and two independents who caucus with Democrats.

The spokeswoman, Julianne Fisher, said that a number of accommodations are being made to facilitate Johnson's return. His office suite has been reconfigured to give him wider passageways to navigate what Fisher called a "powered mobility device." Fisher said that Johnson is able to walk short distances with a cane and is learning to write with his left hand because his right side is weaker. She said his speech is slower, but his cognitive abilities are fine.

Johnson has a new desk in the front row in the Senate chamber for easy access, and he will spend more time in the Capitol during votes.