Despite a "far from perfect" proposal, despite two members of imprisoned Congress and two more under indictment, despite an Ethics Committee that doesn't function, The New York Times notes that the House came "kicking and screaming towards reform":

Effective oversight by credible professionals should ease members’ fears of partisan witch hunts. It may even help repair the tattered reputation of the House ethics committee that averted its eyes from Jack Abramoff, the imprisoned superlobbyist. There are now two members of Congress serving time, two under indictments and others being investigated in that mess.

The measure is far from perfect; the new integrity office was denied subpoena power. But it can be a healthy step forward. Now it is up to Mr. Boehner to prove that his party wants to help win back public trust.