Shady & Sleazy: No Matter Who Is In Charge

The Times Online reports on corruption come full circle in Washington.

"A decade ago Newt Gingrich’s Republican revolutionaries seized control of Congress after 40 years of Democrat rule by promising to end the culture of graft and corruption on Capitol Hill.

Today, after a string of indictments, scandals and a criminal investigation that threatens to implicate dozens of politicians next year, the tables have turned full circle. It is now President Bush’s Republicans who are seen as the party of sleaze.

Polls suggest that two thirds of Americans believe that corruption is a serious political problem. That, allied with the growing unpopularity of the war in Iraq, is raising fears in the White House of a voter backlash in next year’s mid-term congressional elections.

Since the summer, leading Republicans have been hit by a steady stream of scandals..."

Once, we had Clinton's draft dodging, revolving Attorney Generals, inhale-exhale controversy, Hillary's $90,000 cattle futures profit, travel-gate, FBI file-gate, trigger happy feds at Ruby Ridge, Whitewater, innocent children dead at Waco, China-gate, a cruise missile strike on an aspirin factory in Afghanistan, the accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Mike Espy's illegal gift trial, Buddhist temple fundraising, "no controlling legal authority," Henry Cisneros obstruction of justice, Web Hubbell mail fraud and tax evasion, Mena airport, Jones-Willey-Broaddrick-Lewinsky, pardon-gate etc.

Now, we enjoy GWB's Guard service, Cheney's draft dodging, the DeLay election law fiasco, White House Energy Task Force, Frist's insider trading allegation, AIPAC spy scandal, missing WMD, Abramoff criminal investigation implicating numerous congressmen, Plame affair-Scooter Libby indictment, Niger forgery and the 16 words, FBI investigation into the DOD's Office of Special Plans, Duke Cunningham's $2.4 million in bribes, Rolls-Royce and antique Louis-Phillipe commode, Iraqi prisoner abuse, secret CIA prisons, Iraq propaganda etc.

And thus, we still have to wait for "honor and dignity" to be restored to Washington (something that probably never existed after man set foot in that swamp).