"In one of his first acts in office, President Obama jammed a major wedge into the revolving door that's long connected the White House and K Street's lobbyist row. The question is whether he kicked in the wedge far enough to prevent the door from spinning again in a few months or a few years.

On Wednesday, Obama signed an executive order barring administration appointees who leave their jobs from returning to lobby any federal agency as long as he is president. The previous rule called for a year's cooling off. The new one is a tougher standard, if officials are willing to stick to it.

Under the same order, former lobbyists won't be eligible for appointments to agencies they lobbied in the past two years and, if appointed elsewhere, won't be able to take part in discussions of matters they handled as lobbyists.

Obama said he wanted to make it clear what's expected."

Get the Story:
Editorial: A new White House targets an old problem (The Virginian Pilot 1/27)

Relevant Documents:
Executive Order -- Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel (January 21, 2009)