NEW YORK The Gallup Poll reports today that "The percentage of Americans who say that most members of Congress are corrupt has increased significantly from the beginning of this year, and is now at the point at which slightly fewer than half of Americans believe most members are corrupt."

This, interestingly, is similar to what Gallup found just prior to the 1994 elections, when Republicans swept Democrats out of power.

However, there is a twist: Relatively few Americans think their own member is corrupt.

But Gallup reports: "The American public is more likely to trust the Democrats in Congress -- rather than the Republicans -- to handle the issue of corruption, although the vast majority of Americans believe corruption in Washington involves both parties equally.

The survey, taken two weeks ago, found that Americans are divided on whether most members of Congress are corrupt (47%) or not corrupt (46%). The percentage saying most members of Congress are corrupt is up significantly since January, when 38% said most members were corrupt and 55% said most were not.

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