Manipulation and politics comprise a never-ending cycle in American politics. Thousands of players with varying interests and perspectives compete every day for the attention of decision-makers. The centre of this work is Washington, not just the US capital but for many Americans synonymous with everything that has gone wrong in the development of society.

"Washington is broken", proclaimed the Republican candidates time and again during the presidential primaries. Democrats like Barack Obama and John Edwards promised to clean up the corruption and make politics more democratic.

But even if the theme is the same – politics is not working – the arguments are different. Democrats, generally speaking, consider the problem lies in the influence of money – Republicans, generally speaking, that the problem results from a state that is far too big. Consequently, Obama and Edwards regard lobbying as the root of all evil: special interests with large amounts...