Senior Republican Admits Bribery

Ohio Republican Bob Ney has become the latest high-ranking Republican to run afoul from the law in the public's eye. A long-expected result came this morning as Ney admited to taking money and gifts from the now-disgraced Jack Abramoff , pleading guilty to charges brought against him by the U.S. Justice Department. Ney, the first sitting politician to be convicted in the unravelling Abramhoff scandal, is expected to formally resign soon, and had already pulled out of his reelection bid.

This marks yet another Republican politician to be in public hot water as the midterm elections loom closer. In preceding weeks, Mark Foley of Florida resigned his seat after allegations came out that he had sexually-explicit conversations with 16-year olds. Now, with the war in Iraq an utter political quagmire (as staunch ally Tony Blair even said today that the ongoing military prescence is causing more harm than good), the Republicans have the Abramoff scandal brought back up to the forefront of the news.

White House Spokesmen Tony Blair said today that Ney should in fact resign, adding that any politicans "with money in the freezer" should do the same.

This marks the fourth time this Congressional term that a Republican has been forced to resign for shady political dealings. A year ago, Randy Cunningham of California resigned after it had emerged that he had accepted millions of dollars in bribe money from defense contractors. This summer, the much-maligned Tom DeLay stepped down, also due to financial misdealings.

While no Democrats or Independents have been caught up the fury of scandals this term, the Republicans may have more damage yet to come. Most insiders and political news sites are reporting Ney as the "first" sitting politican brought down by the Abramoff scandal, implying that many more may follow. Earlier, a key aide to Karl Rove was convicted for his activities. Dennis Hastert is under extreme scrutiny as a result of the Foley ethics investigation. And with the current climate of the country, things keep looking bleaker for Republican power as the voters ready themselves for the November elections.

Ney will pay a yet-undetermined fine and could possibly serve up to two years in federal prison. If he does not resign immediately, he will likey be expelled, as both Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have called for his expulsion. Ney previously chaired the Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommitte and as head of the Franking Commision (regulating Congressional mail privleges). However, Ney, who has not been in Congress in over a month due to his legal proceedings, will still recieve his $30,000 a year pension regardless, due to a measure he voted for just a few months ago.

The race to fill Ney's seat - that of the Ohio 18th District, which covers a sprawling swath of the middle and southeastern part of the state - is between Democrat Zak Spence and Republican State Senator Joy Padgett. While Padgett looked to be leading at one point in time, Spence is now leading her by 7 points in the polls as Ohio residents grow tired of the Bush administration, Governor Bob Taft, and Republicans in general.

Dennis Hastert's office is refusing to take my calls.