<p>Our good friends over at<a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/"> Talking Points Memo</a> have announced the first annual <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/060210.php">Golden Duke Awards</a>, an end of the year, reader-nominated, scandal contest. We want to urge you to send in your nominations,!</p><p>TPM named the contest for former congressman and now federal inmate Randy &quot;Duke&quot; Cunningham, the center of what Josh Marshall called the &quot;iconic modern political scandal: you've got bribery, sex, national security, and just cartoonish ridiculousness writ large.&quot;  His team is inviting readers to nominate their favorite political crook or bamboozler in six categories: best testimonial train wreck, outstanding achievement for improbable forgetfulness, outstanding achievement in corruption-based chutzpa, best local scandal, best scandal - sex or carnality related, and best scandal, general interest. Send in your nominations by December 14.  </p><p>TPM has compiled an impressive panel of judges, including <a href="http://susiebright.blogs.com/susie_brights_journal_/">Susie Bright</a>, <a href="file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Mike/My%20Documents/John%20Dean">John Dean</a>, <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/hendrikhertzberg/">Hendrik Hertzberg</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahlia_Lithwick">Dahlia Lithwick</a> and <a href="http://matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com/">Matthew Yglesias</a>.  On December 18, TPM will announce the nominees and the winners on December 31.   </p>

Josh Marshall's intrepid pursuit of truth and justice (and yeah, of corruption in high places too) is really unparalleled in the blogosphere. Today he provides a nifty summary of the all the corruption scandals in Congress this year. Read it and keep digging.

And we thought that the last Congress was the most corrupt in recent memory!