The New Orleans Times-Picayune takes a look at the Washington DC version of Mardi Gras -- and how the major events surrounding the festivities are exempt from both the old and the new ethics rules: 

More than a decade ago, one of the congressional ethics committees said that the big Mardi Gras parties appeared to be "widely attended events," one of the exceptions to the ethics rules. The numerous Mardi Gras receptions are allowed under a separate exception because they aren't sit-down meals: Only hors d'oeuvres are served.

After the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal exposed the sleazy backdoor channels between lobbyists and lawmakers and more than a half-dozen members came under investigation for corruption, the Democratic majority in Congress clamped down on corporate-sponsored travel and parties thrown "in honor" of lawmakers. The Senate banned all gifts from lobbyists.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the changes "broke the link between lobbyists and legislators." But you wouldn't know it by looking at the Washington Mardi Gras.

"What better occasion than Mardi Gras to demonstrate that the new rules are a farce?" asked Melanie Sloan, executive director of the nonprofit watchdog group Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington.

That quote from Melanie Sloan just sums it all up.