So, the question is: who benefits from sending him to prison now?

The answer is: those who have something to hide.

Right, but he would be going to one of the Club Fed country club prisons, right?

Once in prison, the range of options prosecuters have for securing Abramoff’s cooperation become more limited, and not nearly so effective.

For prisoners, the number one priority becomes staying alive, and the best way to do that is to keep quiet. Bad things sometimes happen to guys who talk too much.

Something isn’t right here because the story basically makes no sense.

What if a US District Judge was attempting to protect Democrat Leaders in the Congress from being named as recipients of Jack Abramoff’s bribes? What if that judge, Paul Huck, ordered Jack Abramoff to prison over the objections of federal prosecutors? What if the judge was appointed to the federal bench by Bill Clinton?

What if federal prosecutors want Abramoff available to name government officials he bribed, but won’t have that opportunity if Abramoff is in prison?

What if the Culture of Corruption in Washington includes several members of the GOP? What if both parties have an interest in keeping Jack Abramoff quiet?

What if the best way to make sure the scandal remains under the radar is to elect leaders in the new Congress who have powerful incentives to keep a lid on Abramoff’s revelations? What if that explains why Pelosi would break tradition and support an obviously corrupt Jack Murtha?

What if a Culture of Corruption infects the leadership of both political parties and both Republicans and Democrats have compelling reasons to ignore public outrage and keep a tight lid on just who is involved in Abramoff’s crooked deals?

What if the American people have no available mechanism for forcing an open and forthright investigation into official corruption, except for elections now 2 years away?