MEANWHILE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE...

The intricate squalor of Democratic fund raising is the news of the moment. But here's a big surprise: funny money is a bipartisan indulgence. Here's another: Bob Dole--gasp!--is in on the game. For most of his Senate career, Dole was the pro of the quid pro quo. No one else has been more effective at working the filigree of legislation, digging out just the groove to let the American government's generosity flow unimpeded to his most loyal supporters. And the G.O.P. generally has engaged for years in imaginative fund raising, and favors trading that would make anybody blush. Anybody, that is,...