Broom should start with Dann
POSTED: May 8, 2008
Marc Dann needs to read the writing on the wall and leave.
Ohio’s top law enforcer is under a cloud that sets a precedent rendering him ineffective that is far more powerful than any precedent a suddenly hesitant Ohio House could set in impeaching Dann.
The Ohio attorney general’s misdeeds include mismanagement of his office, mismanagement of personnel, improper relationships with employees and surrounding himself with inadequate and ineffective staff. More troubling is that he’s facing accusations of giving inconsistent testimony.
Perjury is never to be taken lightly, and in a state’s attorney general, it never should be used in the same sentence. President Clinton was held to a higher standard for lying about his own immorality. Surely Marc Dann’s inability to remember if his chief scheduler spent the night in his apartment is in the same vein as what Clinton did. Ohio’s legislators need to stand up for what’s right and move forward to try to kick Dann out of office if he’s not man enough to leave on his own.
The people of Ohio thought they were electing a man with a plan, a tough guy law enforcer who would end even the appearance of corruption in state government. What they got is a guy who simply doesn’t care about appearances and has decided to stay in office, at least so far, forcing the hand of those who would have to act if he is to be kicked out of Columbus.
It’s despicable. It’s politics as usual, the exact kind of politics Dann railed against on his way to his election victory in 2006.
Voters thought they were getting a tough-guy in the stylized Buford Pusser mode. They ended up with an attorney general who presides like fictional John Blutarsky over an animal house of a state office.
More troubling is the sudden hesitation on the part of some Ohio House members, who are saying they want to be careful not to set precedent in seeking the first impeachment in centuries in Ohio. The fear seems to be that Dann’s improprieties could be repeated by other state officials already in office.
Or put more plainly, legislators who live in glass houses seem afraid to throw stones.
If that’s the case, the broom needs to start sweeping clean not only in the AG’s office.
