Pharmacuetical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA): $23 million
Amgen Inc.: $16.2 million
Pfizer: $13.8 million
Roche Holding AG: $9 million
Sanofi-Aventis: $8.4 million
GlaxoSmithKline: $8.2 million
Johnson & Johnson Inc.: $7.7 million

It's worth pointing out, however, that industry's interests can sometimes align with society's interests. One of Big Pharma's lobbying priorities this past year was SCHIP, which would have made health care available to more children from low and middle income families but would have also meant more kids on meds, something that geeks Big Pharma out. On the other hand, sometimes industry's influence is toxic. Another 2007 lobbying goal: keeping cheaper medications from foreign countries out of America, which has driven some people to disgraceful lengths to get their pills.

All of this money is part of the inertia in Washington. The energy and health care industries will be receptive to change that puts more money in their pockets, but anything that denies them profits, or make earning profits more difficult, will be met by a bulwark of resistance paid for by these tens of millions. Every relevant lawmaker and staffer will have been visited by an industry lobbyist, or been hosted at an industry event: industry's interests will be well-known. A President Obama or a President McCain can talk about limiting the power of special interests on the campaign trail, but by the time they take the White House the special interests will have been lying in wait for years.