The whole William Jefferson debacle. The situation seems clear enough: there was a mountain of suspicion, and a warrant was obtained from a judge and duly executed. As The NRO's "Windows on the Week" points out, casting their prose from Jefferson's point of view:
Stymied, the feds spend nine months trying to get you to cooperate before finally going to a court to seek a carefully limited search warrant. And then they do the search. So then what do you do? You start screaming, naturally. This is outrageous! I am protected by the Constitution! Okay, it’s a little lame, given that the Constitution doesn’t protect felonious behavior. But hey, any port in a storm. And here’s the kicker: When you scream, the House leadership, from Speaker Denny Hastert on down, comes to your defense—staking Hastert’s and his party’s reputation on the claimed constitutional right to use a congressional office to hide evidence of felonies. It’s great for you, but it does leave some people asking: Was that in the Contract with America?
This is an incredible situation in which the law, the politics, and (almost certainly) the truth are all on the side of the GOP. When Howard Dean was asked two weeks ago on Meet the Press if Jefferson, if indicted, should resign, Dean simply said, "Yes," and left it at that. Nancy Pelosi has done everything but load up Jefferson's car for him. The Democrats know that Jefferson ruins everything they've built up as regards "the culture of corruption" since the special prosecutor in the Plame case was appointed. People understand marked bills in a freezer. They understand graft. And thanks to Dennis Hastert, the Dems are about to slip away.
Mark my words: the next time Dean is asked about Jefferson, you'll not hear an answer so straightforward. Of course Jefferson should resign, Dean will say, "but one should not overlook to strong-armed tactics of Alberto Gonzales's Justice Department so on and so on . . . the possibly illegal blah blah blah . . . the separation of powers yada yada . . . even Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, whom I have the greatest respect hummana hummana."
Incredibly--almost defying belief--Jefferson demanded that the contents of the search simply be returned to him. Gonzales and two others at Justice threatened to quit if the White House caved on this, and good for them. President Bush's 45-day cooling-off period seems the best that can be carved out, for the moment.
There is probably one way for the GOP to gain yardage on this, and that is for the old W luck to kick in. George W. Bush has been the most fortunate man in the history of the world when it comes to political enemies: Anne Richards, Al Gore, Terry McAuliffe, John Kerry, Dan Rather, Daily Kos, Moveon.org, Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, Cindy Sheehan, Harry Reid. Watch, as spring turns to summer and the silly season approaches, for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to parachute in for pro-Jefferson, anti-Bush rallies in front of the Capitol. These will be just what the GOP needs.
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