THERE are currently three major inquiries that are plaguing top officials within both the White House and Congress. Additionally, in late October, for the first time in history, a majority leader will have to face indictment. While this may be good news for Democrats eager to expose these scandals, it is bad news to find that our nation's leadership believes they are above the law. It is now up to the Republican leadership to replace their leadership teetering on the fringes of the law with a more stable force, even if that means moving away from their base or receiving fewer funds from lobbyists.
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, has been formally indicted by a grand jury in which one of his lobbying groups, Texans for a Republican Majority, has been claimed to have illegally contributed to his campaign by transferring funds through the Republican National Committee. In the Senate, Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is in hot water since he tampered with his blind trust, an account that is required to be untouched by the owner due to a conflict of interest, according to Associated Press. In the White House, Karl Rove has been involved in a case to discredit and reveal the identity of ex-undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame, whose husband, Joseph Wilson, in 2003 wrote a scathing (and as it turned out, correct) opinion article in The New York Times about the administration's original faulty justifications for the Iraq war.
Originally, Congressional Republicans came into power in 1994 to wipe out corruption and special interests that in their view were affecting Democratic congressmen. Though this was not the only reason that Republicans have held one or both houses since then, it certainly was a factor -- Americans were sick of money going into shady finances. The public turned to a Republican majority to expose corruption and create a less corruptible government, among other things.
The timing of these revelations couldn't be worse for the Republican party, a time in which only 40 percent of Americans approve of President Bush and only 32 percent approve of actions by Congress, according to a Sept. 30 Newsweek poll. Despite many Americans' beliefs that Bush handled Hurricane Rita better than Hurricane Katrina, the investigations will take a toll larger than any positive numbers caused by reconstruction.
DeLay has already been replaced by Roy Blunt, the fairly inconspicuous majority whip. However, according to Bloomberg News, Blunt also has ties himself to corruption; he pushed for a provision benefiting Phillip Morris while dating a lobbyist for the company.
If Frist must be replaced as Senate majority leader because his blind trust inquiry concludes insider trading, the new leader in the Senate must be someone with a reputation for limited relations with lobbyists. There are more than enough Republican congressmen who would be able to fulfill either job, and who have more limited connections to lobbyists and records shady dealings while still appealing to their base. This is a time to create a Congress that is more bipartisan by putting straight-talkers in leadership positions within the majority party. Senators such as Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., or John McCain, R-Ariz., have significant experience within multiple committees and the Republican Party, are able to reach out to moderates, and have not been known to be involved with many scandals or special interests. The most likely contender for Senate Majority leader is Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a senator well known for his connection with lobbyists, according to the Wall Street Journal. McConnell would not have the squeaky clean reputation of many other candidates for the post.
Typically, it takes more than a few bad apples in Congress to create a change in a political party. However, in 2006, a dissatisfied public may just desire change from major corruption if the Republicans do not clean up their act and change their leadership to members who are less controversial. While these indictments reduce our faith in our leaders, it is, in a way, one method of finding and eliminating corruption from the bottom up: from corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who illegally financed Republican leaders, to Tom Delay himself. If Republicans replace corruption with corruption, they will receive a nasty surprise by the voters.
Adam Silverberg is a Cavalier Daily Viewpoint writer.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Carla Williams deserves her seat at the table
By Editorial Board | YesterdayLooking beyond basketball and football reveals that Virginia Athletics is, in many ways, thriving.
UPADHYAYA: The Great and not-so-Good sides of U.Va.’s 2030 housing plan
By Apal Upadhyaya | 3 days agoInstead of improving the dire state of existing infrastructure, however, the University has shifted attention away from it and chosen to expand.
EDITORIAL: Support low-barrier shelters in Charlottesville
By Editorial Board | 4 days agoInvesting in low-barrier shelters now will pay off in increased stability for the homeless, which will undoubtedly improve the safety of shelters and the community writ large.
