Chocolate barrel politics?

Not money-filled briefcases. Not lobbyists and corporate contributions. Not influence peddlers and CEOs. Why, the way to a Senator's heart is chocolate! Quick, someone alert the movers and shakers in DC! Capitol Hill newsrag The Hill dropped this bombshell:

...Democrats have practiced small random acts of kindness toward Rockefeller, though it’s not entirely clear if they have any ulterior motives. For example, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), a member of Finance, gave Rockefeller his chocolate dessert at a lunch meeting last week.

HA ha. Last year in America, $3.3 billion (with a B!) was spent on federal lobbyists and lobbying, and that number doesn't include corporate campaign contributions or any state lobbying activity. What a waste. Just give every legislator a molten cake! (And give Tom DeLay two.)

By the way, Kerry gave Rockefeller an item from his really awesome lunchbox for... Rockefeller's support of the Finance Committee's health care bill.

If that's all it takes, then this is dedicated to the survival of the public option:

Muddy Waters - Sugar Sweet