The Washington Post ran an article this morning about Recovery Act funding for environmental clean-up being given to contractors with less than stellar performance records. On the surface, this is yet another example of the desperate need for a fully public contractor misconduct database to help prevent awarding contracts to bad actors. But something else jumped out at me from the article that points to a larger problem that I don't think a misconduct database would solve: contractors and executive branch staff are far too cozy.

Speaking at a panel hosted by George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management, Norm Eisen the special counsel to President Obama for ethics and government reform indicated that the administration is open to suggestions for modifications. According to RollCall ($$), Eisen said this week that, "there is a process" in place for enforcing the new lobbying rules.

Norm Eisen, the White House ethics adviser recently posted twice at the White House blog on "the administration's historic opening efforts" on ethics reform. Eisen details a meeting held with the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, and the American League of Lobbyists.