Rostenkowski: The Arrogance Of Power

He was a big man with a big appetite.

When the going was good, you could find him any night at the Palm or the Occidental or Morton’s in Georgetown, where his table, No. 50, was called “Rosty’s Rotunda.”

The maitre d’s bowed and called him “Mr. Chairman.”

The evenings always began with ice-cold martinis the size of doggy bowls and moved on to aged steaks big as Cadillac hubcaps, washed down with vats of Chateauneuf du Pape.

Those are expensive Washington restaurants. But not to worry.

The only thing that irked Mr. Chairman was a waiter mistakenly handing him the check.

His hearty, gruff voice rumbled across the restaurant. People would stop by to shake the hand that ruled the nation’s tax laws. But those who laughest loudest at Mr. Chairman’s jokes were the lobbyists and pals known as “Rosty’s Guys.”

Now, however, the laughter is silenced, the table empty, the waiters untipped. Mr. Chairman, aka Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., is going away on a 17-month vacation.

Fittingly for a congressman whose golf trips to Pebble Beach, Calif., and Sun Valley, Idaho, were paid for by lobbyists, Rostenkowski’s latest junket will be another freebie, the tab being picked up this time by the U.S. government.

Once, presidents eagerly returned his phone calls. Now, however, Rosty will be lucky to get in a word with the warden.

This is not to snicker at the prison fate of Dan Rostenkowski, the ultimate Chicago street pol, a burly, swaggering man with the face of a bulldog. In his 36 years in the House, especially as Ways and Means Committee czar, Rosty did good for people - and a lot more for friends.

Oh, you won’t hear a harsh chortle from the Imperial City Establishment, the K Street lawyers, lobbyists, restaurateurs, congressfolk or the president. Especially not from Bill Clinton, who shamelessly campaigned for Rostenkowski when the feds were closing in.

Over and over, Rostenkowski still is praised by his imperial circle. “A fine human being,” said former House Minority Leader Bob Michel, R-Ill.

But let’s say it straight: Rosty symbolizes what people hate about Washington.

It’s not merely petty-cash chiseling of taxpayers’ money, the “ghost” employees and the illegal gifts. Or (charges that were dropped) the stamps swapped for cash, the snazzy cars bought with public funds.

No, it’s the arrogance of power.

It’s an inbred system that hands barons such as Rostenkowski muscle to run roughshod over rules and people. So he dipped a hand in the cookie jar? Presidents still would fawn and lobbyists still would buy his $50 steaks.

Rosty is the reason outsiders - meaning anyone without a congressional paycheck - yearn for term limits.

That arrogance, ironically, propelled Rostenkowski to his extended stay in a federal pen.

He could have retired, walked away with a million dollars in unspent campaign funds under 1992 rules. Tells you something about the love of power if a congressional chairmanship is more beguiling than a million bucks.

Even after the feds had nailed him, Rosty blustered, “I’ll fight these false charges and be vindicated.”

Behind the scenes, his lawyer Robert Bennett worked a deal: Rostenkowski could cop a plea, get six months and a $38,000 fine. As it turned out, that would have been a bargain. But buddies said, “Hang tough, Rosty - you can beat the rap.”

More arrogance.

So he fired Bennett and growled, “Truth is on my side. I will not make deals with them.”

A year later, he was standing in federal court, hammered with a 17-month sentence and a $100,000 fine.

But Rosty still played the martyr, a heavy-jowled Joan of Arc torched by heretics.

“Sometimes, one person gets singled out, held up as an example by law enforcement,” Rostenkowski said outside the courtroom.

Arrogance means never having to say you’re sorry.

Never mind that the judge, Norma Holloway Johnston, had a sterner view of Rosty’s “reprehensible” crimes, telling him: “In your important position, you capriciously pursued a course of personal gain for you, your family and friends. You have stained them. … The penalty will be a burden of disgrace.”

Seems the judge wasn’t one of “Rosty’s Guys.”

Even on ABC-TV, Rosty showed he still doesn’t get it. Sure, prison was on his mind: “I’m not happy.” But he sees himself caught on a technicality, trapped in a time warp, betrayed by silly rules.

Arrogance is never guilty.

Don’t weep for Rosty. He’ll still draw his $96,000 yearly congressional pension - he always was lead dog when time came to raise pay or pensions. He’ll be one of the richest felons in Slammer U.

And the waiters at Morton’s in Georgetown will keep the martinis chilled, the tub-sized steaks ready to broil.

In the Imperial City, arrogance never goes away forever.

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