Go Bob!

In his closing commentary on Face The Nation, Bob Schieffer applauds the Democratic majority’s attempt to clean up Congress (although you won’t hear him credit them) and uses Ted Stevens’ recent raid as an example of the dangers of not enacting reform.

Face the Nation transcript:

SCHIEFFER: Finally today, Congress passed a tough ethics reform bill last
week. Washington ethics has become such an oxymoron that ethics reform
usually draws a yawn. But it shouldn't this time. The FBI investigation of
Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, which coincidentally came to the fore just as the
bill passed, shows how badly it was needed. Stevens is no newcomer just
learning the rules. He's 83, the longest-serving Republican senator ever.
He's an expert at bringing home federal dollars to his state and, in one case,
slipped a secret request into a federal spending bill to obtain $1.6 million
for an Alaskan marine biology center. What raised questions is that the
center then turned around and used the money to buy some land from the
business partner of Stevens' son. Legal or not, is that how the rest of us
want our tax money spent?

Then there's the other part. The FBI wants to know why an Alaskan energy
company that does a lot of business with the government and whose owner has
pleaded guilty to bribing state legislators apparently took over the
remodeling of the senator's house. The senator claims no wrongdoing, but who
would even put themselves in such a position?

The new law's not perfect, but it will make it harder to do those things. As
for Stevens, a friend said he sincerely believes he's done nothing wrong. To
me, that's the most damning part. If that is what one of the capital's longest-serving legislators really believes, then there's no question tougher laws were needed.

We'll see you next week right here on FACE THE NATION.