ABSTRACT
In Jeffrey H. Birnbaum’s (1993) best-seller, The Lobbyists, he recounted the growing influence of a cadre of well-positioned Washington insiders who manipulated policy and politics through networks of connections and often unseen influence. So powerful yet unpopular has been this trend that as a presidential candidate John F. Kennedy proclaimed: “A new administration must screen out those who regard Government service as the door to power or wealth, those who cannot distinguish between private gains” (Kennedy, 1960). The future president went on to articulate a code of ethical conduct that would shield the public from self-interested federal officials, and promote transparency and good governance.
