The lobbyists are back in Washington, with a vengeance. Of course, they never really went away, but they seemed to be lying low during the first five months of Barack Obama’s administration.

That was pretty much what the new president wanted. He won office promising to change the culture of Washington, specifically the enormous influence wielded by special interests over policy and the laws of the land, and, by word and deed, did his best not to renege on his commitment.