The old double standard: Ryan, F. Jimgot thousands from Abramoff-linked PAC

In a desperate attempt to make the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal bipartisan, the National Republican Senatorial Committee posted a list of Democratic Senators who have ever received any contribution that could be linked to Abramoff, even after six degrees of separation. It included contributions from Abramoff associates and clients, in some cases when he wasn't even working for them.

The NRSC tried to link Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, Mr. Clean, to Abramoff by saying Feingold received a contribution from the PAC of Abramoff's former law firm. Feingold returned the money along with some contributions from lawyers who used to work at the firm.

Charlie and Jessica McSykes got all hot and bothered about it, and especially that the hated MSM, or Main Stream (read Liberal) Media, didn't cover it -- or, more accurately, didn't cover it enough to suit them.

McSykes always likes to talk about the double standard in the news media.

Here's a chance for them to do something about it.

Two Republican Congressmen from Wisconsin, Paul Ryan and F. James Sensenbrenner, have each taken four times and eight times as much, respectively, as Feingold got from the same Abramoff law firm PAC. Federal Election Commission records show Ryan got $2,000 and Sensenbrenner $4,000 from the same law firm political action committee that gave Feingold $500.

There's been no media coverage, not a peep from either of them about returning the money, or any call from the RIB (right wing blogosphere) to do so. (And I am not talking about the $949 Ryan gave to charity -- which by the way was from Abramoff himself.)

Not one penny of contributions from Abramoff or his wife went to a single Democrat. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Here's the list.

Now that that the GOP has defined what a "link" is to the Jack Abramoff, Bob Ney and Tom DeLay scandals, this should be fun for Democrats as they uncover those links.

Stay tuned, Mark Green.

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Dean slays the Wolf. Howard Dean sets Wolf Blitzer straight on whether this is a bipartisan scandal. Check it out.

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And Wolf plays Capitol Hill Jeopardy.