Friday, March 11, 2005

An Idaho example for Congress


The wonder of state Sen. Jack Noble's resignation in a scandal of his own making is that the Kuna Republican lasted so long as an Idaho lawmaker.

His conduct has been reprehensible. He was sued for allegedly defaulting on $724,000 in farm loans. He owes $10,000 in state sales and use taxes. And in 2003 he attempted to relax laws to allow 18-year-olds to sell wine and beer, including those that might happen to work in his convenience store.

Noble's downfall was inevitable: He lied unconvincingly about clumsy, self-serving legislation he introduced to allow liquor sales closer to schools, which, by the way, would also benefit his store. Had he not resigned, he surely would have faced official censure by the Legislature.

The resolve to finally repudiate Sen. Noble is an admirable precedent for legislators to remember if others are found abusing the public trust.

Idaho's discipline also is in stark contrast to Congress, where ethics are regarded with seeming indifference. Take, for example, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, whose Republican colleagues adjusted ethics rules to accommodate his behavior. DeLay can serve even if indicted by a Texas grand jury investigating criminal shenanigans.

As further disregard for scant pretenses to ethical conduct, Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert removed the chairman of the ethics committee who twice dared discipline DeLay's misconduct.

The crackdown on Sen. Noble is reassuring to Idahoans. However, Washington's lack of demand for political probity lives on as a testament to hypocrisy.




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