Legalized Bribery in Congress

I was struck by many of Thomas Friedman's points in his NYT column yesterday about the Tea Party and the quest for national leadership.
But what hit me hardest was this aside: "our Congress a forum for legalized bribery." That's a pretty astounding observation to come from the lead columnist for the nation's establishment newspaper.
Much of what we call politics is about companies and interest groups coming to Washington in search of money. Politicians respond by talking only to constituents who have contributed to their campaign efforts. It's hard to see this as anything but bribery, even if the politicians aren't allowed yo keep the proceeds in small bills in their freezers.