by John M. Curtis
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Copyright Jan. 3, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

romising to overhaul ethics in the House of Representatives, Democrats resume power after a 12-year drought. Campaigning to “clean house,” incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who becomes the nation's first woman speaker, campaigned to end the GOP's “culture of corruption,” a risk should Democrats stumble and allow lobbyists to run amok. Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who sits in federal prison for racketeering and money laundering, practically took down the Republican Party throwing money at elected officials, though not all of them were from the GOP. Pelosi has already stirred controversy, nearly appointing disgraced former judge Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fl.) to head the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, choosing instead Rep. Sylvestre Reyes (D-Texas), who's already admitted not knowing whether Al Qaeda or Osama bin Laden are Sunni or Shiite.

      Rep. Rahm Emmanauel (D-Ill.), head of the Democratic congressional campaign and former Clinton advisor, drew loud heckles from antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan at a recent press conference. “Deescalate, investigate, troops home now,” shouted Sheehan, acutely aware that Democrats currently offer no better option in Iraq than Republicans. Shouting down Emmanuel, Sheehan wants the ethical focus to center on the injustice and inhumanity of the Iraq war—something that took her son's life. While Pelosi prefers to focus corruption in Washington, Sheehan wants to investigate the White House and Pentagon's manipulation of pre-war intelligence and the government's clandestine process for awarding no-bid contracts. Sheehan sees Iraq as the central front in Washington's ethical bankruptcy, where lobbyists and backroom deals prevail over the well-being of U.S. troops.

      While Emmanuel touted Democrats' commitment to “clean house,” his colleague Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) answered questions about disclosures in “Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance,” where he admitted to the youthful indiscretion of using marijuana and cocaine. No one questioned Barack's revelations two years ago when ran for U.S. Senate. Obama's admission signals his intent to get the skeletons out of the closet well before the 2008 campaign gets underway. Obama's admission mirrors the transparency sought by Pelosi as she tries to get Washington politics out of smoke-filled rooms. Incoming Sen. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) indicates that Democrats' first six bills would deal with ethics reforms, nothing about Iraq policy. Sheehan's publicity stunt hopes to push Democrats to deal with Iraq. She sees inconsistency fighting for only ethical reforms.

      Restricting travel on corporate jets or precluding Abramoff-like golf junkets won't change White House policy on Iraq. Sheehan finds it hypocritical that on life-and-death issues ethical standards go out the window. Lawmakers are more fixated on privately financed trips or travel on corporate jets than whether U.S. soldiers spill their blood to defend the bottom line of publicly traded corporations. “Democrats are committed to working with Republicans to get results,” said incoming senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, giving no indication of his Party's position on Iraq. Activists like Sheehan find Democrats more hypocritical than Republicans because of their unwillingness to take a position on Iraq. Possible presidential candidates like Obama and Sen. John F. Kerry have gone out on a limb, taking a decisive antiwar stand, unlike other key Democrats.

      Setting up a possible confrontation with House Republicans, Pelosi signaled that any ethical reforms would be tied to the minimum wage, stem cell research, energy, student loans and recommendations by the 9/11 Commission. Like so much other Washington deal-making, Democrats refused to separate ethical reforms from a political agenda during the first 100 hours of the new session. “We view the first 100 hours as essentially a mandate from the American people,” said Hoyer, putting the GOP on notice that compromise was not in the cards. Pelosi has made it clear that Democrats would not retreat from promises made during the campaign, especially increasing the federal minimum wage and lowering student loan interest rates. With Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) heading the House Judiciary Committee, Pelosi hopes to get her way by hinting at possible investigations.

      Democrats hope to push a new political agenda by tying bills to new ethical reforms. Pelosi will find great opposition if she tries strong-arm tactics much the same way the GOP acted when in power. Ethics legislation should stand on its own, independent of stem cell research or any other political cause. Despite budget deficits, Republicans still have the broader agenda of funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, usurping resources needed to finance Democrats' legislative agenda. “We welcome the president's newfound commitment to a balanced budget, but his comments make us wary,” said Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.), concerned that Bush's balanced budget plan cuts out the lion's share of Democratic plans. Instead of tying ethics reform to more pork-barrel spending, Pelosi needs to meet her commitment to “clean house” and then get to her political agenda.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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