Word: toweringly
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Oscar Wilde's aphorism comes close to summarizing John Tower's last-ditch defense. Forget the sandstorm of charges swirling around the diminutive former Senator; ignore the serious questions of sobriety, sexual escapades and the sale of Government expertise. To the beleaguered nominee for Defense Secretary, the real issue is the motivation of his judges in the Senate, who he implied were hypocrites pursuing the partisan politics of personal pique. "Is it an acceptable standard for Senators late in the evening who've had a few drinks . . . ((to)) vote on vital issues of nuclear deterrence?" Tower asked with rhetorical venom...
...Tower is enough of a realist to recognize that his chances of confirmation are not much better than the odds that Breathalyzers will be installed in the Senate cloakroom. But his argument serves as a deft reminder that there are also Senators whose alcoholic and amorous behavior might not stand sustained scrutiny. There is just enough merit to Tower's who-is-fit-to-judge-whom bluster to accentuate the confusion over the proper standards of conduct for public officials...
Ethical posturing is fast becoming the Washington version of the old radio show Can You Top This? Tower, of course, was a major contributor to the piety on parade with his melodramatic vow that he would resign as Defense Secretary if a drop of liquor ever touched his lips...
Cheney's name had not figured in any of the speculation that arose in the hours after Tower's rejection. But the nomination quickly drew praise from the Senate, which will vote on his confirmation...
...excellent choice," said Sen. Charles Robb, the freshman from Virginia who was one of the last Democrats to announce his opposition to Tower...