How much more conspiracy, secrecy and controversy can Washington take?
Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, along with two associates, was indicted Wednesday, on charges of conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme.
DeLay is accused of knowingly making a political contribution in violation of Texas law outlawing corporate contributions. If convicted of the state felony, he could spend from six months to two years in a state jail, pay a fine of up to $10,000 and be removed from his position as a congressman. DeLay temporarily stepped down from his duties as the majority leader on Wednesday in light of the controversy.
Along with the typical "Did he do it?" examination, the incident leads the public to question: "How much can we trust the men and women that we elect?"
In general, it's sickening that we can't.
DeLay is the first House leader to be indicted in over a century. But political scandal is nothing new to Washington - nor as a part of the public's perception of politicians. At first glance, this might seem like just another blow to the Republican Party. But it affects much more than that.
Whether this is, as DeLay's spokesman charges, "politically motivated," the questions brought up by this case are troubling.
Of course damage control will be rolled out by the Republicans and they will try hard to minimize the fallout. But it doesn't change the fact that people will only see the cloud of controversy swirling over Capitol Hill.
This hurts the public perception, not only of DeLay and the GOP, but also of the whole political system. Regardless of whether DeLay is convicted, politicians' reputations aren't exactly going to go up - not that they are at record high levels anyway.
By no means do we condemn DeLay's indictment. But we are bringing down the hammer, so to speak, because politicians need to be carefully examined by the media to make sure they are honestly serving the public. We don't get joy out of smearing DeLay's name; we just want to make sure someone honest is doing his job.
It would be nice to be able to trust all representatives, regardless of if they live at home in East Lansing or all the way in Washington.
