COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A Democratic political consultant questions why two former U.S. House members who voted against impeaching President Clinton 10 years ago are now jumping on a bandwagon to force Ohio’s attorney general to resign or be forced from office.
Clinton’s case rings similar to that of Attorney General Marc Dann, a fellow Democrat from Youngstown who has admitted to an extramarital affair with a subordinate and is being challenged for inconsistent statements made under oath.
Congress impeached Clinton, as Democrats are now threatening to do to Dann. Yet Clinton, who was subsequently acquitted in the Senate, never resigned.
Governor Ted Strickland would like Marc Dann gone before the November elections, because he is a bright, glowing neon sign that political corruption is well and truly bipartisan!
Some pundits have opined that the Ohio AG could destroy the Potemkin village of “Democrat reformers” that swept Democrats into office two short years ago, and put Ohio back in play for the Republicans.
...Strickland and Brown are joined by nearly every Ohio political leader - both Democrats and Republicans - in wanting Dann to resign.
Ah! Bipartisanship, at last!
...Strickland (D) says Dann has clearly met the threshold for removal, in part due to his statements to investigators looking into complaints that an aide in his office sexually harassed subordinates.
``There were what I perceived to be some inconsistencies in the testimony, a failure to recognize the seriousness of some of the things that apparently had happened, failure to exercise proper oversight and management of the office,’’ the governor said after leading a Democratic charge Monday to get Dann out of office.
...Republican consultant Mark Weaver said transcripts of a sexual harassment probe at Dann’s office that concluded Friday refer to personal acts by Dann that call his judgment into question. Among them are allegations Dann served drinks to subordinates during off-work hours, made personal and suggestive statements in office e-mail and allowed the hiring of a friend as a section chief despite knowledge that he had a drunk driving conviction.
``With Taft, there was not the direct link back to his behavior that was creating the problems,’’ Weaver said. ``People who accuse Taft of wrongdoing ... said he wasn’t paying close enough attention to what was going on. The argument against Dann is that he was actually fomenting it, he was involved in it.’’
And a “golden oldie” at the end of the piece:
And Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Traficant, a nine-term congressman from Youngstown, never resigned before heading off to prison. He was convicted in 2002 of charges he received gifts and free labor from businessmen for his political help, and took cash kickbacks and free labor from staff.
``Richard Nixon and Jim Traficant are both infamous political figures,’’ Weaver said. ``At least give Nixon credit for not making the country go through an impeachment trial. Jim Traficant would not do that and had to be taken away in handcuffs.’’
Heh. Of course, you might want to check with Elliot Spitzer. They might like handcuffs! Heh. Heh.
Cross posted at Say Anything
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