Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Boehner's baggage

The new majority leader may be a "fresh face" in House leadership, but with the same old reluctance to address ethical reform.

The "fresh face" Republicans picked as U.S. House majority leader is less than a week into his new job and already looking way too familiar. If John Boehner is to be the new look of ethical reform in Congress, then Republicans may need to get their resumes ready.

On the Sunday talk show circuit, Boehner refused to support any new restrictions on lobbyists or the free trips and lavish gifts for lawmakers. Worse, he ridiculed the need. "Bringing more transparency to this relationship, I think, is the best way to control it," the Ohio Republican told Fox News. "But taking actions to ban this and ban that, when there's no appearance of a problem, there's no foundation of a problem, I think, in fact, does not serve the institution well."

No appearance of a problem? Why did House Republicans show Tom DeLay the door?

Boehner, in his eighth term, was part of the Newt Gingrich revolution, rising and then falling in power as the Contract With America did the same. Though he was not as closely associated with DeLay as the man he defeated for majority leader, Roy Blunt, Boehner brings his own sizeable set of luggage.

A decade ago, Boehner made the wrong kind of name for himself as he waltzed onto the House floor, while in session, and handed out checks from tobacco lobbyists. More recently, he took $27,000 in campaign contributions from Indian tribes represented by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, collected $850,000 for his own political action committee and gave $5,000 to the DeLay criminal defense fund.

Then there is this inconvenient fact: Boehner, whose opposition to a travel ban already has sent hapless House Speaker Dennis Hastert back to the drawing board, is currently ranked No.10 among the 535 members of Congress in accepting privately financed travel. Don't look for him on the frontline in Baghdad, either. According to PoliticalMoneyLine, Boehner's destinations have included the Greenbrier Resort in the Allegheny Mountains, Boca Raton, Scottsdale, Pebble Beach, Edinburgh, Rome, Venice, Paris and Barcelona.

Boehner said he doesn't want to keep members of Congress "locked up in a cubbyhole here in the Capitol," as though Scotland's fabled St. Andrews Golf Course provides clues about Medicare Part D. Boehner, a golfer, has been there twice.

Boehner is right that full disclosure may help deter abuse, but his pitch is sounding too much like an excuse for real ethics reform. On Sunday, he even backtracked on so-called "earmarks" - pork barrel spending he has properly derided and refused to seek for his own district. He told NBC's Tim Russert only that he wants to "reduce the number" and, you guessed it, "bring more transparency."

Following the caucus vote last week, Hastert spoke of "a brand new day for House leadership" and Rep. Jeff Flake called Boehner a "fresh face." In reality, Hastert is still speaker and Boehner so far offers only a deeper tan.

[Last modified February 7, 2006, 01:12:14]