Just Politics

Run for cover

Look out... the House Ethics Committee is back in operation and "Gotcha Politics” will reign supreme once again.

"This could easily turn out to be another era defined by the criminalization of policy differences," said Norman Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, commenting on the ethics committee. "Ethics issues tend to be used as a club in larger political warfare."

On the Democratic committee hit list are Reps. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), Charles Taylor (R-N.C.), Rob Simmons (R-Conn.), Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif) and Tom DeLay (R-Tex).

Some have suggested that Democrats may not really want conclusive decisions about Ethics. Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) is under scrutiny for making public the contents of an illegally taped phone conversation in 1997. And should a true ethics war erupt, there are many more Democrats who could come under scrutiny as well for possible violations.