GOP to Restore Ethics Rules

By way of followup to my post from last night, some updates on the ethics rules debate going on over on the House side of the Capitol. Mike Allen reports in today's Washington Post that GOP leaders have in fact decided to "rescind" the partisan ethics rules implemented in January. A vote on returning to the previous rules will take place later this week, Allen quotes officials involved as saying. An advisor to Hastert noted "there will be a [political] cost to this, but if he had not done this, the cost would continue to increase." Well on that he's certainly correct.

As I noted last night via the AP, new Ethics Committee chair Doc Hastings will support the rollback of the January rule changes, "because he believes it is the only practical way to get the committee functioning, sources said." An investigation into Tom DeLay's convoluted trip-taking and fund-raising "irregularities" will undoubtedly be opened as soon as the rules debate is settled [although this USA Today report really does plant a bit of doubt as to how effective that might be].

The LA Times begins its "rules change rollback" story this way: "Sometime this week, the most powerful man in the House of Representatives is expected to take the rare and politically painful step of acknowledging he made a mistake." Recognizing when a blunder has been made is an important aspect of political leadership (even if it's only recognized because your opponents are using it effectively against you), and having the intestinal fortitude to correct your course is vital as well. So Hastert and Hastings will deserve some credit - at least a little bit - if they actually carry out this rollback and allow a full, fair and bipartisan investigation of Tom DeLay to go forward.

The House of Representatives, the GOP, and the country will be the better for it.