Word: packwoods
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Packwood is not the only one on the stand. As Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) asserts in The Globe, "The Senate's reputation is very much at stake." Whether or not this entire issue is actually relevant to the lives of average Americans is moot; that every major newspaper has plastered its pages with stores, news analyses and columns on the controversy will force Bob and Mary Jones of Peoria to think about Packwood and the Senate--and not, perhaps, about the real political issues facing them...
History is against Packwood, for no senator in modern times has opposed a subpoena for personal Papers. Although the Senate has not expelled anyone since the Civil War, Packwood may very well be the first. "In the end," as Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said in an interview with The New York Times, "the vote will not be based on ethical or legal questions, but on the politics of the moment. Do you want to be perceived as having voted for a cover-up?" With the specters of Watergate and Iran-Contra still haunting government and another election year just...
...Packwood cannot and must not sacrifice his diaries. His reflections, whether personal or profound, belong to him and him alone. This debate should not fester in the public arena any longer, for the leaders of this country certainly have better things to do. If Packwood decides to work through the federal court system to challenge the subpoena, lawyers say he could delay action for up to two years. Another two years of "Bob Packwood" headlines will not appeal to Americans searching for good and responsible government...
...preserve the dignity of the Senate, Packwood should resign immediately. In a time when confidence in Washington is unhealthily low, the allegations surrounding Packwood, true or not, are not improving the situation. His ability to lead has been mortally wounded, and even the people of Oregon probably would not send him back to Capitol Hill if an election were held today. Resigning may take more bravery, but it is the only option left if Packwood truly wants to protect his right to privacy as well as the precarious condition of American government...
First it was just his diaries that were laid open. In recent weeks lawyers for the Senate ethics committee have combed through 5,000 pages of Senator Robert Packwood's private journal. "Are there personal things in there?" Packwood lamented last week. "Sure. Family heartaches. Disappointments. Irritation with the car repairman." There was more than that: word emerged from the committee that the diaries, which of course range far beyond the scope of the sexual-misconduct charges he faces, may in fact contain evidence of unrelated criminal violations. Last Monday Packwood responded to such reports by insisting, "For the life...