Rocky start for the new ethics chief

Rep. Doc Hastings, Washington state’s senior Republican in Congress, is taking flak from open government groups for one of his first acts as a committee chairman.

Hastings is the new chairman of the House Standards of Official Conduct Committee, sometimes shortened to “Ethics Committee.” (This is the point where would-be Jay Lenos are supposed to say “Congress has enough ethics to have a committee?”) A seat on the panel is not the most highly sought job in the Capitol, because it can involve castigating one’s own colleagues.

At the beginning of the month, Hastings took over for Rep. Joel Hefley of Colorado, who angered some congressional Republicans for running the committee when it twice admonished House Majority Leader Tom DeLay last year. Speaker Dennis Hastert, however, said he removed Hefley because of House rules on term limits for chairmen.

Oh right, term limits. Those can be very important in key circumstances. Hastings himself supported a 10-year limit for House members when first elected – which was 11 years ago.

The committee has some new rules along with a new sheriff, such as a requirement that a majority of the panel vote for an investigation before one is launched. Could be tough, because this committee is one of the few panels evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.

Last week, Hastings fired a pair of senior staffers who handled the DeLay investigation. Smacks of retribution, said Public Citizen’s Joan Claybrook. Disappointing start for a new chairman, said the folks at The Campaign Legal Center.

Just standard operating procedure, said Ed Cassidy, Hastings’ chief of staff. New chairmen typically replace senior staff to ensure they can “work together cooperatively, confidentially and productively.” Replacements will have the concurrence of the committee’s top Democrat.

“Anyone suggesting these decisions were made for partisan reasons is flat-out wrong,” Cassidy said.

Could be interesting

The 2004 gubernatorial election has spawned litigation and legislation. Watching the lawsuit requires a journey to Wenatchee, but Spokane residents can take part in a discussion over the legislation with a much shorter trip. Head for Spokane Community College’s Lair on Tuesday evening.

The Election Reform Task Force hearing starts at 6 p.m. Secretary of State Sam Reed will be present to talk about some of his legislative proposals. Bob Williams, Evergreen Freedom Foundation president, will be there too, to talk up some of his group’s ideas.

Some of them are mutually exclusive, by the way. Reed’s a fan of more mail-in balloting; Williams wants to “de-emphasize” absentee ballots as a way of reducing fraud.

Gone with the draft

Despite some Internet scares during the middle of last year’s presidential campaign, there is no military draft, nor is there serious movement for a draft from anyone in Congress who would be in a position to push one through.

There is registration for the selective service system, but that’s not a draft. Ask anyone who was drafted, back in the day.

But that isn’t going to keep local peace activists from using the draft as a reason to gather this week.

The Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane will hold a Draft and Conscientious Objection Workshop featuring what the group describes as a long-time draft counselor. Well, he would have to be long-time, considering the nation hasn’t had a draft since 1973.

They’re hoping to attract those concerned about the community effects of conscription or anyone “who wants to learn about conscientious objection as a concept or as an option.”

Which brings up the question: Without a draft is there something to which someone can conscientiously object?

In any case, the workshop is 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Community Building, 35 W. Main.