Just In Case You Thought Anyone in Congress Was Serious...

Buried in an Associated Press story about the GOP's bogus lobbying "reform" bill is one paragraph that really should tell you all you need to know about whether either of the parties in Congress are serious about cleaning up the system. In an age where citizens are desperate for politicians to have a backbone, all you can really conclude from reading this is that neither party - even the one emasculated in the minority - still doesn't have the courage of its supposed convictions.

Here is the excerpt:

"The Associated Press asked the four lawmakers who lead the ethics committees whether they would make a commitment to investigate ethical wrongdoing if, as expected, the information Abramoff supplies exposes misconduct by a number of lawmakers. Each of the four - two Republicans and two Democrats - declined, through his spokesmen, to do so."

The four lawmakers in question are Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA), Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV), Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) and Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD). They are charged with enforcing ethics rules - and yet when asked whether they will actually enforce those rules, they refuse to comment.

This is, in a nutshell, why polls show the public believes both parties are equally corrupt. And let's be clear - the Republican stonewalling is understandable. They have a lot to lose in these scandals in terms of actual power. What's absolutely disgusting is the silence of the Democrats, who really have nothing to lose other than a few perks. Yet apparently, those perks are too much to give up, even if it means a shot at winning back the majority.


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