What’s wrong with this picture?

How things work:

Bobby Thompson (St. Petersburg Times)

May 14, 2009: Bobby Thompson donates $2,000 to Del. William Howell, R-Stafford County, House speaker.
May 14, 2009: Thompson donates $2,000 to Del. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, chairman of the House General Laws Committee.
May 18, 2009: Thompson donates $1,000 to Sen. Patsy Ticer, D-Alexandria, chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee.
June 4, 2009: Thompson donates $2,000 to Del. Thomas Gear, R-Hampton, subcommittee chairman in House General Laws Committee.
June 4, 2009: Thompson donates $5,000 to Bob McDonnell’s campaign for governor.
June 16, 2009: Thompson donates $5,000 to Ken Cuccinelli’s campaign for attorney general.
Aug. 19, 2009: Thompson donates another $500 to Cuccinelli’s campaign.
Aug. 31, 2009: Thompson donates another $50,000 to Cuccinelli’s campaign.
Late fall 2009: Jones receives a letter from Samuel Wright, a U.S. Navy Vets’ Washington lobbyist, complaining that the organization had been barred from soliciting in Virginia. Jones replies that the organization is ineligible under state law.

January 2010: Wright asks Ticer to sponsor legislation to exempt veterans groups from having to register with the state to solicit contributions. She agrees.
Jan. 13: Ticer introduces the bill, SB563.
Jan. 27: The Senate General Laws and Technology Committee approves the bill 15-0, with amendments.
Feb. 2: The Virginia Senate passes SB563 by a vote of 40-0.
March 2: The House General Laws Committee approves SB563 by a vote of 22-0.
March 4: The bill passes the House of Delegates, 100-0.
March 21: The St. Petersburg Times begins a series on the U.S. Navy Veterans Association and Bobby Thompson.
Late March/early April: After seeing the St. Pete Times story, Ticer’s legislative aide, Peggy Papp, recommends that Ticer withdraw the bill. Ticer suggests that Papp contact the governor’s office and request that he veto it.
April 10-11: E-mails and calls to the governor office come from Ticer and others, requesting that the bill be vetoed.
April 12: Gov. Bob McDonell signs SB563 into law. It takes effect July 1.

The story in Sunday’s Roanoke Times, reprinted in Virginian-Pilot, laid out the details of the timeline above. Bottom line: some guy no one knew threw around some cash and got legislation passed that benefits his “group,” which is really just him. The whole investigation by the St. Petersburg Times is here.

Yeah – we need to figure out a way to reduce the effects of money in politics. This has got to be one of the more egregious examples.