Over what period of time? If it was doled out in relative small amounts and/or among several persons, this kind of thing has always been done. To put things into perspective, the annual payrol of a small private elementary school exceeds 500 grand.
The bribes were paid over two or three years, I think. But I don't understand why it would matter if the bribes were paid in one shot or over a period of time.
You've got to understand that the money came from Buckham's lobbying firm, Alexander Strategy Group (ASG), and his "non-profit", US Family Network (USFN).
Regarding the money from ASG, it might as well have come from Abramoff himself. The DeLays orignially say that Christine "earned" the money for compiling a list of Congressmen's favorite charities, but that explanation has been fluid in recent weeks.
USFN was basically a sham organization. If you can find any legal activities for the USFN, I'd be surprised. It basically existed to enrich Buckham and the DeLays. USFN is toxic. There is no legitimate reason for the DeLays to get money from USFN.
Also be aware of the close ties between ASG, USFN and DeLay's PAC, ARMPAC. You may remember that ARMPAC admitted criminal wrongdoing a few weeks ago and shut down operations.