When NEWT GINGRICH and his self-proclaimed revolutionaries took power after the 1994 elections, they passed the so-called gift ban, a deliberately draconian law that prohibits members of Congress and their staffs from accepting gifts of any value--even a cup of coffee--from lobbyists, journalists and contributors. Another reform: Gingrich placed six-year term limits on all committee chairmen. But in the days since Newt announced his resignation, his presumptive heir, BOB LIVINGSTON of Louisiana, has been peppered with furtive requests from fellow Republicans who want to turn back the reform clock. The total gift ban, they argue, is humiliating because it presumes lawmakers...
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