Late last week the Hill put out a list of the top 20 lobbying firms in Washington. The list detailed year over year performance for each firm. Most of the firms on the list saw revenue decrease in 2008 by between 5 and 15 percent. Field leader Patton Boggs saw a drop of 8 percent from $42.7 million to $39.2 million, with a weak fourth quarter of just $9.3 million. Still, one firm on the list showed unbelievable growth over the last year. While the rest of the industry struggled to keep pace with their 2007 numbers, and a few managed to see single digit growth, one firm managed a 40 percent increase in revenue over 2007. Oddly enough, that firm -- the Podesta Group -- just happens to boast a managing partner who shares a last name with the man that ran Barack Obama's transition, John Podesta. The Podesta Group saw revenue jump from $11.4 million to $16 million, with a particularly strong fourth quarter take of $4.3 million. Does the Podesta group simply represent a whole bunch of businesses that are immune to the economic turmoil now afflicting the American economy, or is there maybe some other reason for the sudden surge in business?