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Non-Tech : The ENRON Scandal -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mephisto who wrote (1426)	1/29/2002 1:45:18 AM
From: Mephisto	Respond to of 5185

Cheney / Find a compromise on Enron issue Editorial: President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are wandering into dangerous political territory in their dispute with the General Accounting Office. The nonpartisan GAO wants documents from Cheney's energy task force meetings, especially documents concerning Enron's participation and possible influence; Cheney refuses to release them. If the White House and the Congress are not careful, they could find themselves locked in the sort of futile embrace the Clinton administration experienced over Whitewater. No one would benefit from that diversion; there are too many important issues Washington needs to tend, not least the war against terrorism. A parallel can be drawn between the Enron question domestically and the treatment-of-prisoners issue internationally. In both cases, the administration has displayed a deafness of tone in its actions and statements that has unnecessarily squandered the broad support it developed following Sept. 11. If that support continues to erode, the White House could find itself isolated and weakened both at home and abroad. It's not immediately clear who's right about Cheney's claim of executive privilege over the energy task force documents. But this is clearly not a partisan witch hunt. The man running the GAO, David M. Walker, is a Reagan-Bush Republican. Moreover, he began his quest for the documents at the behest of Republicans running House committees. Walker makes a strong case that his effort to get the documents pertains not to Cheney's status as vice president, but to his role as chair of the energy task force -- which is not a constitutionally designated power. Cheney retorts that he is standing on principle, drawing a line in the sand and refusing to continue the erosion of presidential power that has occurred over the last 35 years. Given the extraordinary powers Bush has claimed, with congressional acquiesence, in the war against terrorism, it's difficult to know precisely what Cheney means. But if he's really protecting presidential authority, he's chosen a terrible place to do it. He and Bush came into government with close political and business ties to energy companies, including Enron and its top officials. Those connections include large contributions from Enron officers to the Bush presidential campaign. Several Enron officers found jobs in the administration. Given what then happened at Enron -- the meltdown that left investors and employees holding an empty bag -- Bush and Cheney have an obligation to bend over backward in demonstrating that Enron did not enjoy special White House access and influence. The need for greater White House cooperation in the investigation is demonstrated by recent polls showing that the American people overwhelmingly believe the administration is hiding something. Unless halted, that erosion in trust could cripple this administration. We hope that doesn't happen. While we disagree with many of Bush's policy initiatives, they should be debated on their merits, not scuttled by scandal and loss of public faith in the president. After the tumultuous Clinton years, the nation needs a period of political confidence building. That need was made ever so much more important by the attack of Sept. 11. The GAO's Walker now is threatening to sue the White House for the documents. Such a suit, the first of its kind, might be necessary, but it would also be regrettable. The country does not need that sort of protracted constitutional confrontation. Cheney is the focus just now, but Bush is president. He goes before the nation tonight to give his annual State of the Union address. We hope he uses the occasion to tell Congress and the American people that on Enron and on a whole raft of important domestic concerns, he aims to cooperate with Congress rather than play the game of hardball that Cheney signaled over the weekend. Compromise, gentlemen, is honorable. jsonline.com Published Jan 29 2002