GOP Missteps May Make Corruption a Major Campaign Issue
by Ted Rueter

President Bush came into office promising that his staff would do "not just what's legal, but what's right." However, a recent Washington Post/ ABC News poll found that only 40 percent of Americans regard President Bush as honest and trustworthy, while 58 percent have doubts about his honesty. Recent scandals demonstrate a clear pattern of wrongdoing in the Bush administration and the Republican Party. The GOP appears to be engulfed in a culture of corruption:

-Scooter Libby: Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff has been indicted on two counts of making false statements to the FBI and one count of obstruction of justice--all in connection with revealing the name of Valerie Plame, a covert CIA operative. Libby has also been accused of facilitating no-bid contracts to Halliburton for work in Iraq.

-Karl Rove: The Deputy White House Chief of Staff is also under criminal investigation for possibly revealing Plame's name to journalists. Sixty percent of respondents in the Washington Post/ ABC News poll said that Rove should resign.

-Tom DeLay: The former House Majority Leader has been indicted by a Texas grand jury for money laundering. Known as "The Hammer" (for ruling the House with an iron fist), DeLay is charged with illegally funneling $190,000 in corporate contributions from his political action committee (Texans for a Republican Majority) through the Republican National Committee. Corporate contributions to PACs are illegal under Texas state law. DeLay was admonished by the House Ethics Committee three times in 2004. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi called DeLay's indictment "the latest example that Republicans in Congress are plagued by a culture of corruption at the expense of the American people."

-Jack Abramoff: A DC insider, Republican fundraiser, and Bush associate, Abramoff faces a criminal probe by the Justice Department for his lobbying activities. Abramoff received more than $45 million in lobbying fees and public relations work from Indian tribes in the last four years. Abramoff and his partner, Michael Scanlon, are accused of conspiring with fellow Republican operatives Ralph Reed and Grover Norquist to orchestrate lobbying against their own clients to force them to pay for lobbying services. In e-mails, Abramoff repeatedly refers to Native Americans as "monkeys" and "idiots." Tom DeLay called Abramoff "one of my closest and dearest friends."

-Bill Frist: The Senate Majority Leader is under investigation by both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York for insider trading. Last summer, Frist sold stock in Hospital Corporation of America (founded by his father and brother) soon before the stock's price dipped. Frist has received regular updates on transfers of assets in his "blind" trust.

-Duke Cunningham: The former California Congressman recently pleaded guilty to tax evasion and conspiracy for accepting $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors. He resigned from the House of Representatives and faces a lengthy jail term.

-Bob Taft: The Republican Governor of Ohio gave a generous contract to Thomas Noe, a prominent Republican fundraiser, to manage the state's investment in a rare-coin fund. An audit revealed that up to $12 million of the state's portfolio was missing.

-Ernie Fletcher: The Republican Kentucky governor's administration is accused of basing state government hiring decisions almost exclusively on partisanship. Fletcher's deputy chief of staff, a transportation department official, and the state's administrative services commissioner have all been indicted for violating applicants' civil rights.

Republican corruption may emerge as a major issue in the 2006 elections. A recent Associated Press poll indicates that 88 percent of respondents believe that corruption is a serious problem, and that sixty-five percent express disapproval of the Republican-dominated Congress. Here's to a Democratic takeover in the next elections.

Published in Bloomington Herald-Times, September 16, 2005