"Currently, lobbyists file reports with the federal government six times a year. Two of them detail how much campaign cash they donated and to whom. The other four, filed quarterly, disclose their clients, the amount they've been paid, what bills and topics they're focusing on, and whether they lobbied the House, the Senate, or the executive branch. To Rosenberg and other good-government advocates, it's a system that's riddled with flaws, allowing lobbyists to reveal the bare minimum about their interactions with lawmakers. When a lobbyist meets with a government official, Rosenberg believes, he should be required to divulge the name of the employee, where this person works, and a detailed explanation of what was discussed. And she wants a disclosure report filed every one or two days. A paperwork-intensive proposition like this is a tough sell, but Rosenberg is convinced the disclosure process can be streamlined to the point that the requisite forms can be filled out on a BlackBerry during the ten-minute cab ride from Capitol Hill to K Street.

"Attempting to reform the long-standing ways of Washington, where furtiveness has become standard operating procedure, is lonely work. But Rosenberg insists she's not out to be K Street's party pooper, though her colleagues in the industry may think otherwise. 'We're reining in the party,' she says. 'Maybe it's not a wild kegger with a live band anymore. Maybe it's a cocktail party with classical music piped in.' "