Here's a lesson in Beltway journalism, by way of an unwitting Washington Post: always check your source's background.

On Sunday, the Post ran an article on GOP power broker Grover Norquist, and how his influence is waning as a result of his ties to the Abramoff scandal. "Powerful GOP Activist Sees His Influence Slip Over Abramoff Dealings," the headline announced.

To balance the piece, the Post's Jonathan Weisman quoted Cesar Conda, a lobbyist who disagreed with the article's thesis:

"I don't think he's lost one iota of influence in conservative circles," said Cesar Conda, a Republican lobbyist and a former top aide to Vice President Cheney.

Great, but. . about that Conda fellow. Just the day before, Weisman's own paper reported that Conda himself had ties to Abramoff. Newly released Secret Service records showed that Conda was one of a handful of White House aides who had been scheduled to meet with Abramoff.

As the Post reported

Among those with whom Abramoff met in the spring of 2001 was Cesar Conda, then assistant to the vice president for domestic policy....

Conda, now a lobbyist, said in an interview that he invited Abramoff to a "casual social lunch" at the White House mess. "It was so long ago I don't remember anything about it," Conda said. "He was just a guy that I knew from the Hill. I invited folks from around town, K Street, think tanks, to chitchat."

Next up: the Post writes a piece on Conda's waning influence, featuring a quote from Norquist sticking up for the guy?

The Norquist-McCain verbal slugfest continues. Norquist -- who feels his integrity was impugned by details of money-laundering schemes outlined in Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) recent report on Jack Abramoff -- has opined that McCain is "delusional" and a liar. (As we all know too well, 373 pages of painstakingly documented facts is what passes for delusional among certain D.C. circles.)

McCain's people have fired back. “The one thing I admire about Grover is how hard he works to make himself relevant. But he’s not relevant. He never has been and never will be," McCain strategist John Weaver told The Hill newspaper. "He should go pick on some fourth-graders.”

One McCain adviser told the paper rather matter-of-factly that there was no way to write the report and not include details of Grover's malfeasance, which was mostly laundering money from Abramoff's questionable sources to conservative outfits: McCain adviser: “Grover’s fingerprints where all over this stuff, " the adviser said. "You would have to work hard to keep him out of it."

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