Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Integrity:
In a surprise turn of events yesterday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee decided to postpone the scheduled vote on the nomination of John Bolton to allow for further review of new allegations which "cast doubt on Mr. Bolton's temperament and credibility."
LISTEN TO YOUR CONSCIENCE: After the session, Voinovich explained his change of heart, admitting, "My conscience got me." It turns out other senators may be having similar crises of conscience. Sen. Chuck Hagel also said the allegations against Bolton are "serious enough that they demand, cry out for further investigation," acknowledging that, while he had been ready to vote to send the nomination to the full Senate, "he would not guarantee that he would vote in favor of the nomination on the floor." And while Sen. Chaffee had said before the committee meeting that he planned to vote for Bolton, last night his spokesman confessed that the continuing revelations and ongoing questions about Bolton's fitness for office had once again left Chaffee undecided.
But both were willing to vote "Yes" until someone else showed some integrity.
LISTEN TO YOUR CONSCIENCE: After the session, Voinovich explained his change of heart, admitting, "My conscience got me." It turns out other senators may be having similar crises of conscience. Sen. Chuck Hagel also said the allegations against Bolton are "serious enough that they demand, cry out for further investigation," acknowledging that, while he had been ready to vote to send the nomination to the full Senate, "he would not guarantee that he would vote in favor of the nomination on the floor." And while Sen. Chaffee had said before the committee meeting that he planned to vote for Bolton, last night his spokesman confessed that the continuing revelations and ongoing questions about Bolton's fitness for office had once again left Chaffee undecided.
But both were willing to vote "Yes" until someone else showed some integrity.
Comments:
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The topic is politicians and integrity. I'm not sure I'm ready to hold politicians to my personal Quaker standards. I'm not even sure I know exactly what my personal Quaker standards are.
I was challenged by a trip to the NC Legislature to advocate against a gay marriage amendment a month ago. The Democratic majority, for political reasons, wanted nothing more than to keep this issue from leaving committee, and they had the political wherewithal to achieve that goal. One Democratic legislator said the best thing we could do to keep this amendment from happening would be to "go get a cup of cappuchino." His reasoning was that publicity around this issue in a conservative state like North Carolina could only hurt. It might force the amendment out of committee, force a vote on the floor, which would almost surely pass, leading to an issue on the state ballot that would bring the religious right to the polls and possibly create a Republican majority in state government.
So, was he right? Or is it my job, if I have integrity, to "Speak Truth to Power" even if the short-term consequences seem counter-productive?
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I was challenged by a trip to the NC Legislature to advocate against a gay marriage amendment a month ago. The Democratic majority, for political reasons, wanted nothing more than to keep this issue from leaving committee, and they had the political wherewithal to achieve that goal. One Democratic legislator said the best thing we could do to keep this amendment from happening would be to "go get a cup of cappuchino." His reasoning was that publicity around this issue in a conservative state like North Carolina could only hurt. It might force the amendment out of committee, force a vote on the floor, which would almost surely pass, leading to an issue on the state ballot that would bring the religious right to the polls and possibly create a Republican majority in state government.
So, was he right? Or is it my job, if I have integrity, to "Speak Truth to Power" even if the short-term consequences seem counter-productive?
# posted by 
: 10:46 AM
: 10:46 AM << Home
