No one bribes officeholders to cut government programs. They bribe them to make government bigger, to divert funds from one program to another, to spend where spending isn't necessary. The taxpayer loses money on the deal. The Congressman pockets a Congressman's ransom. The business interest pockets a King's ransom.

Today, Randy "Duke" Cunningham tearfully admitted taking millions of dollars in bribes. In exchange, the eight-term Republican House member directed defense contracts towards the interests that paid him. And paid him they did. Cunningham pocketed at least $2.4 million. Who knows what the business interests pocketed or what taxpayers lost? U.S. Attorney Carol Lam nailed it when she explained: "He did the worst thing an elected official can do--he enriched himself through his position and violated the trust of those who put him there." Cunningham is (was?) regarded as a conservative, having scored a 95 lifetime rating on the American Conservative Union's system (N.B. Those scores sometimes tell us more about the group issuing the rating rather than the rated politician). Since electing uniformly honest men has always eluded the electorate, the best safeguard against bribery is smaller government. This requires conservatives to govern as conservatives--to make government smaller.

One thinks of the oft-quoted Federalist #51: "If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions." One such precaution against the Duke Cunninghams of the world is smaller government. With so few dollars at stake, why would any businessman chase? Discerning the honest from the dishonest seems beyond the grasp of the mass of voters. Demanding a government more in accord with the limitations on government laid out in the Constitution is within the power of the electorate. But it may not be within the interests of the elected. Big government pays. Just ask Duke Cunningham.

Given that the ACU gives + points to those who vote for defense increases, its not shocking that he managed to get such high marks from them.

"The city of Washington was built on a stagnant swamp some 200 years ago, and very little has changed. It stank then, and it stinks now."

Though former Mayor-for-life Mayor Marion S. Barry, Jr. did march all 'dem hookers 'cross the 14th bridge and right out of town. That did help a bit.

I was stationed at NAS Miramar flying F-14s in the early '80s and had the opportunity to work, fly and socialize with Randy Cunningham. It pains me to see what should and could have been a lifetime of sterling, uninterrupted public service come to such an ignominious and humiliating end, particularly in view of his earlier service to his country in the U.S. Navy (he was the Navy's sole ace in the Viet-Nam air war). Power corrupts and absolute power....well, you know the rest. I am deeply saddened, both for Randy, and for the rest of us that footed the bill.

I'm with you, Thom. This guy was a stud pilot and a hero. It pained me to write what I wrote. If I hadn't heard the admission from his own mouth, I probably would have viewed the accusations with skepticism. He did it, and, to paraphrase Aristotle: love your friends, but love truth more.

Great post, Dan.

Unfortunately, my free blogger doesn't allow me to utilize your trackback feature. But if it did, you would have been pinged to this address.