As show biz goes, Diane Denish's display of zeal for ethics reform lacked only one thing: The lieutenant governor, seeking New Mexico's governorship, staged a press conference Thursday in front of the Supreme Court building as she called for cleaner government. But, falling short of Martin Luther's 16th-century ethics-reform gesture at the church portals of Wittenberg, Germany, she refrained from nailing her lengthy proposal to the Zia-stamped brass doors of the building before which she was posing.

The showboating became necessary in her mind when state Republicans recently renewed their rampage against Democrats — convicted ones as well as some in the Bill Richardson administration they figure might soon be indicted on corruption charges.

Declared Denish: "I have not been any part of this." And as if to emphasize her claim of honesty, she issued a sheaf of reforms she wants the Legislature to pass.

How different her plan is from those advanced by the governor and by Attorney General Gary King is a matter of debate — and it's been in the course of legislative debate and backroom maneuvers that, for years, meaningful ethics reform has died. So Republicans may be forgiven for questioning Democrat sincerity about ethics. Let Denish, the majority party's front-runner for the gubernatorial nomination, ram her reforms through a Legislature whose Democratic majority by now should be properly shamed into such action — then congratulate herself in whatever setting she chooses.

A major reform item is creation of an ethics commission — something Richardson and King have called for. Denish says the ideas have gotten nowhere because neither the executive nor legislative branch can agree over who'd be in charge of such a commission. Her idea: a seven-member board, to which the state Supreme Court would nominate a pool of candidates. The governor would select three from that pool; majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate each would name one of the other four.

The commission could investigate ethics complaints, launch its own probes, impose fines, refer cases for criminal prosecution, and establish a code of ethics and training for state workers and appointees.

Republicans would have a field day with that lineup, noting that the governor and just one legislator could control the commission. As for what worthies the court would place in the selection pool, some might be ethical tigers, others, uh, more docile.

Denish, to her personal credit, has exceeded today's state requirements by reporting her campaign contributions every three months. She also wants to tighten reporting requirements for candidates and lobbyists.

That's something — but she needs to advocate something more, and assuming she's not turned overnight into acting governor, Denish has time to polish her ethics proposal while she campaigns.

High on the list should be a ban on campaign contributions by any compensated lobbyist — especially the kind of handy-dandy mouthpiece for many interests, who commingles money from clients and hands out big chunks of change in his or her name to buy influence with this senator, that representative. If the clients want to bribe, uh, contribute directly, well that's up to them — as long as the transactions are a clear piece of public record.

On that count, Denish is on the right track with her call for an online "sunshine portal" to state expenditures, salaries and the like; let New Mexicans also have quick and accurate access to who's being bought by whom — and for how much.