Kudos to Nancy Pelosi for Pursuing Ethics Charges Against Fellow Democrats

I've never been a big fan of Nancy Pelosi, but I have to respect her for taking an ethical stand against members of her own party by pursuing ethics charges against fellow democrats. The Christian Science Monitor reports today (August 1, 2010) that Pelosi is pursuing Congressional trials against Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters, two long-time Democratic legislators. [Source: Christian Science Monitor at: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0801/Rangel-Waters-and-the-perils-of-Democrats-draining-the-swamp]

Attacking fellow Democrats is obviously a risky move for Pelosi. A public backlash against President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress for their massive deficit spending's failure to correct the nation's economic woes had put both the House and Senate at risk for the Democrats. This November, the majority could very well move to the Republicans in both houses. Shooting down fellow Democrats makes that switch even more likely, and without a Democratic majority in the House, Pelosi would no longer be the House Speaker. Furthermore, many fellow Democrats might be upset with Pelosi for the move.

So why is Pelosi doing this? I would like to believe (and I do believe until contrary evidence appears) that she simply cares about ethics. I have heard rumors of unethical behavior by Rangel and Waters for years and years. When the Republicans controlled the House they were unable to do anything about these rumors because an attack on two prominent Democrats would seem partisan (and, in this case, possibly racist). It appears, though, that Pelosi is simply tired of the lack of ethical accountability in the House.

Pelosi might also see the writing on the wall regarding the switch in party control of the House. Maybe she believes she will be in the minority this November, and wants to use her final months to clean up some nagging ethical problems -- or to "Drain the Swamp," as she is quoted as saying in the Christian Science Monitor piece cited above.

Whatever the reason for her actions, kudos to Nancy Pelosi for taking an ethical stand in the House of Representatives. This is a small, but important, step toward ethical accountability in our Nation's Capitol.

Sources

" Rangel, Waters, and the perils of Democrats 'draining the swamp' - CSMonitor.com ." The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com . N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Aug. 2010. .