Abramoff scandal hits the conservative think-tanks.

And here we've just been examining his hold on corrupt politicians. Now it's gradually becoming clear that the entire right-wing movement is being fronted by people whose ideals extend exclusively to money and influence. But what will it take for their rabid followers to realize that they've been hoodwinked from day one?

A senior fellow at the Cato Institute resigned from the libertarian think tank on Dec. 15 after admitting that he had accepted payments from indicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff for writing op-ed articles favorable to the positions of some of Abramoff's clients. Doug Bandow, who writes a syndicated column for Copley News Service, told BusinessWeek Online that he had accepted money from Abramoff for writing between 12 and 24 articles over a period of years, beginning in the mid '90s.

And Bandow wasn't the only one, according to the article. Nor was Cato the only right-wing outfit to go along with the deal.