I was disappointed to read that Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev) has accepted ringside tickets for boxing matches on three different occasions. You can’t claim the ethical high ground and then turn around and do something like this. It is the pot calling the kettle black. Those accompanying him to a couple of the fights obviously recognized the apparent impropriety:
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., insisted on paying $1,400 for his ticket when he joined Reid for a 2004 championship fight. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., accepted free tickets to another fight with Reid but already had abstained from taking any votes or actions on the boxing bill because his father was an executive for a Las Vegas hotel that hosts fights.
But it gets worse:
In an interview Thursday in his Capitol office, Reid broadly defended his decisions to accept the tickets and to take several actions benefiting disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s clients and partners as they donated to him.
“I’m not goody-two-shoes. I just feel these events are nothing I did wrong,” Reid said.
Reid had separate meetings in June 2003 in his Senate offices with two Abramoff tribal clients and Edward Ayoob, a former staffer who went to work lobbying with Abramoff.
If it doesn’t pass the smell test, then don’t do it. I think the people of America are sick of all the scandals and already believe that Washington is corrupt.As a leader, Reid has to set an example. And this is not a good example.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Vivian, I’d expect more from you based on your experience. Harry Reid did absolutely nothing wrong. Read Reid’s full response on his senate page or better still, check out this piece by Josh Marshall. What I find fascinating is the medias desire to throw smoke and tar Democrats along with Republicans. Don’t buy it.
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000772.php
I disagree. He used the exception to the rules – the part allowing gifts from governmental agencies – to be able to accept the tickets and accepted them during the time that he was involved in federal regulation of boxing commissions. The fact that the gifts didn't have any effect on the way he voted is not the issue. The casual reader is not going to make that distinction.
We have to hold ourselves to a higher standard of behavior. And I think Reid should have paid for the tickets or turned them down.
“The casual reader is not going to make that distinction.”
Whose fault is it if the media is not willing to put out all the facts? That is their intent, to blur the corruption issue. You may recall, they tried the same one line ” Democrats and Republicans both received money from Abramoff”, which was absolutely misleading. Persistent bloggers made their voices heard, and now the media is making the disinction between Abramoff’s personal donations which went only to Republicans and none to Democrats.
Its the same tactic here.
Vivian –
Unfortunately, probably 90% of Congress is guilty of stuff like this. If not more…
People up here on the Hill are chuckling about this charge, because you could probably level it at every elected official up here…
And you illustrate my point exactly. It is so commonplace that the behavior is expected. Is integrity no longer important?