Friday, June 15, 2007

International Herald Tribune Editorial - Ethical deep freeze

International Herald Tribune Editorial - Ethical deep freeze
Copyright by The International Herald Tribune
Published: June 14, 2007


Now, just as fervid promises of ethics reform from Democratic legislators are running out of steam, comes the bribery indictment of one of their own, William Jefferson, the Louisiana congressman accused of stashing $90,000 in marked bills in his home freezer. Surely this is the strongest possible wake-up call for foot-dragging members to face up to the need for aggressive ethics enforcement.

The timing could not be better for House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to offer Congress and its doubting constituents the strongest possible proposal for the creation of an independent office to oversee ethics enforcement. If Congress wants to repair its tattered reputation, it is crucial to resist cosmetic change. For any independent panel to be convincing it must be given the power to investigate corruption allegations and make recommendations to the ethics committee for forceful action.

Such a panel could render a double service by credibly shooting down frivolous charges and by bracing the House in its duty to police wayward members. The alternative is for Congress to continue to sit there in encrusted apathy, relying on criminal prosecutors and the news media to surprise it with fresh embarrassments about its members abusing the people's business.

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