Word: towers
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Democratic senators rightly questioned whether Tower's judgment would be similarly shaky if he became Secretary of Defense, a position from which he could easily favor his former employers. Tower said he would dismiss himself from some, but not all, the cases which would affect the contractors. Such ethical ambiguity alone was enough to cast doubt on Tower's worthiness for the office--even if the allegations about drinking and womanizing were largely untrue...
...despite Bush's claims to the contrary, there was enough truth in these allegations to cause alarm. Even Senator John Warner (R.-Va.), the ranking Republican on the committee, admitted that the FBI investigation into Tower's personal life, which found that he indeed had had drinking problems, cast doubt on the nominee's fitness for such a high-level and sensitive post...
Nunn and the Democrats deserve credit for keeping the debate free of partisan considerations. Nunn did not publicly pass judgment on Tower before he knew all the facts. As a senator should, he weighed the evidence carefully and came to a thoughtful decision...
...Republicans, on the other hand, should be blamed for what were obviously highly partisan votes. Their block vote for Tower displayed a lack of concern about whether the nominee was appropriate for the Cabinet position. They seemed primarily concerned with salvaging Bush's rapidly disintegrating political clout rather than considering the case's merits...
Having stuck with Tower through the committee vote, Bush should not drop Tower now and risk looking like a wimp who is easily swayed by the prevailing political winds. He's already lost enough prestige among the top players in Washington and in public opinion...