Can We Please Get Down To Business?

Oh, crud. For a brief, shining moment the cognoscenti in Washington, D.C., seemed willing to begin the new year with a serious discussion of serious national problems - such as the impending bankruptcy of Social Security and Medicare.

President Clinton announced after his re-election that he wanted a bipartisan commission to recommend reforms that will keep the two entitlements afloat. Others have urged Congress to face the issue head-on, without a commission.

But now it seems the year will begin with the Beltway absorbed in the daily splatterings of partisan mud-throwing, aimed at the capital’s two figureheads, the president and the House speaker.

The fact there is dirt to find is a reminder of how much credibility would-be leaders lose when they compromise integrity in the crawl to the top of the political heap.

But it will be with a deep weariness that Americans, already cynical about politics, confront the latest allegations.

The president faces accusations that he betrayed his and the nation’s commitment to human rights abroad, making U.S. foreign policy hospitable to corrupt Asian regimes and business interests - this, while his re-election campaign received bundles of laundered money from Asian sources.

House Speaker Newt Gingrich admitted he used tax-exempt organizations to collect contributions that funded his partisan political crusades. This abused tax laws and allowed donors to take charitable tax deductions for political influence-buying.

And now, partisans in Congress are maneuvering to drag out the coming investigations and make them as embarrassing as possible.

Sigh. Yes, corruption must be probed and punished. But what about the business of the nation?

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = John Webster For the editorial board