The right to petition Congress for the redress of grievance is enshrined in the Constitution, but those who earn their living by exercising that right on behalf of others - lobbyists - are being increasingly vilified.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has made a campaign issue of the "undue influence" of lobbyists in Washington, the implication being that they also have too much influence on rivals like Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Clinton tried to stand up for the lobbyists at a convention of largely liberal Democrat bloggers - "A lot of those lobbyists, whether you like it or not represent real Americans, they actually do" - and was booed and hissed for her efforts.

According to the AP account of the convention, "\[Sen. John] Edwards asked crowd members how many of them were represented by lobbyists. A few hands went up, and his point was made."

Actually, probably all of them were represented in one way or another by lobbyists. Their home states maintain Washington lobbyists and if they live in a big city, the city does as well.

The recently passed ethics bill puts more of an onus on the lobbyists in keeping Congress clean than it does on Congress itself.

Squiring lawmakers and their aides to golf at St. Andrews in Scotland has happened but it is far from what most lobbyists do. As for "undue influence," most lobbyists can only wish.