Captain Ed is discussing some of the fallout from the Jack Abramoff scandal. I haven't followed the entire issue much at all, but I did like this snippet from the Captain's 2006 predictions:
The most significant development from this scandal will be the almost-certain disqualification for serious Presidential runs by anyone currently on the Hill, including Hill(ary) herself. Abramoff's stench will touch everyone currently noted for front-runner status, except possibly the most radical of Democrats, such as John Kerry -- who isn't going to get a second chance anyway. The next President of the US will be someone in a governor's seat now, and someone who hasn't served in Congress before. It could very well be Mitt Romney against Bill Richardson or Mark Warner.
I prefer it when an executive runs for President. A General, CEO, Governor, or even a Mayor. Someone who has sat in an executive position and made the difficult decisions, rather than a Legislator who is merely 1 of 100 or 1 of 435, or 1 of however many legislators cast votes in the state capital.
When a decent bill on a controversial issue comes for a vote, it will have its pros and cons. A legislator does not have to vote on the merits, however. A bill that is going to pass or fail by, let's say 5 or 10 votes, won't be impacted by a single individual's yea or nay [or even their absence during the vote]. The individual legislator can claim that legislation is desparately needed, but the decent bill just wasn't good enough; that they were holding out for some addition to the legislation. The executive on the other hand has to sign or veto the bill.
They can't head out for a fundraiser back home, or grandstand for addition to the bill that the rest of the legislature did not see fit to include. Well, they can, but it's more obvious.
The executive gets put in the position of signing into law a decent bill with some inherent drawbacks, or rejecting by way of veto a imperfect bill that would satisfy a need, one that the majority of the legislature passed. And that's what I want in the White House: someone who will make the difficult decisions, not skip the vote and head home to raise money that week.
In short, if two Governors [or a Governor and a Mayor] square off in 2008, I'll be a happy man.
