Muddy Water

The business of politics is a messy one. And if one ever feels the compulsion to take a closer look at the way in which our country is run on a daily basis, I guarantee you they will almost automatically assume we are breaking the law. However, this messy business sometimes is perfectly legal, although, that does not necessarily mean it does not dance the line between ethical and not so ethical. This kind of foggy distinction is the basis of the call to arms by Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT), John Kerry (D-MA), and Robert Casey (D-PN). This happy trio of ultra-liberal Senators is calling for a review of the recess appointment of Sam Fox to the post of Ambassador to Belgium. Sam Fox, is known to have donated money to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group which attacked Kerry's military record and some would attribute as one of the agents of his downfall. With this record, one can be certain that Mr. Fox would never have survived a Congressional Approval Hearing with a Democratic majority. As such, President Bush got Mr. Fox in via a recess appointment effectively taking Congress out of the equation. Although that may seem...seedy, which it more or less is, it is not illegal. However, we will probably see the public siding with the Democratic Senators, for the composure of this appointment does indeed come across as, well, just as they say it is. In the end though, one has to remember that Washington is a giant sausage factory, and no one really wants to know how it is all made.