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GOP slinks away from ethics mess

U.S. House Republicans clearly hoped the last word on the Foley scandal would be the ethics committee's disappointing report they quickly dropped last week as the session and their 12 years in power ended. But a report that is all tough talk and no action to hold anyone accountable should trigger a broader conversation about ethics and accountability when Democrats take charge in January. The disgraced former South Florida congressman will be long gone, but the issues raised by his inappropriate contact with pages and the failure by House staffers and members to respond still will require attention.

Holding anyone responsible for their failure to uphold standards of conduct proved too much to expect from an ethics committee that ultimately reported to outgoing House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who suffered a convenient case of amnesia about his own role. But in the days leading up to the midterm elections, when conservative activists were calling for his resignation, Hastert insisted, "If anybody's found to have hidden information or covered up information, they really should be gone." While voters certainly sent some House members packing, the ethics committee was content to wag its finger.

It found that after the scandal broke, Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., advised one former page not to reveal other Foley e-mails written in 2001. The chief of staff for Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., apparently called a page's father a year ago to warn that reporters "were trying to make something" of the e-mails. Hastert, the panel wrote, was informed by two high-ranking House members of the e-mail concerns.

In tough language, the report found "political considerations" were a factor and found "a significant number of instances where members, officers or employees failed to exercise appropriate diligence and oversight." It used the words "willful ignorance" to describe how House members and staff handled the information.

None of those criticisms led the committee to recommend sanctions, and the only solution it offered was that "the current operation of the page program should be reviewed to ensure that its structure and management remain sound." It didn't take an investigation to reach that conclusion.

Among the many obligations facing incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi, then, is one to the young pages who have played a historic role in Congress. She has to assure that the students are insulated from harm and create a culture where ethical standards take precedence over political calculations. Pelosi has promised a new era in ethics and candor in Congress, and the page program is one place to start.

[Last modified December 13, 2006, 01:21:28]