In A Perfect World

In response to the allegations (described below) against Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher, the Conservative Edge is quick to display this statement, by Fletcher, in which the governor defends his administration by saying that past administrations have been blatant offenders of favortism for 45 years and they did not face investigations. The Edge also denounces the Kentucky attorney general, a democrat, for pursuing what they seem to think is a purely political prosecution.

Sounds like a strong defense Fletcher has. Excuse me for being naive, but I feel safe in assuming that whatever Fletcher's campaign platform was, it wasn't "let's continue 45 years of corrupt government". Although it would make the voting process a lot easier if candidates were that honest. In a perfect world, a politician's speech would go something like "I'm simply a man running to occupy a seat for the party, vote with the party, and introduce an occasional bill written by lobbyists". Nevertheless, since officeholders do not use this type of campaign rhetoric, they should make at least a token effort to run honest administrations.

This blog would be too idealistic to refute the Edge's claims that the indictments are politically motivated, however, what it will say is that every political investigation is, at the end of the day, alive largely for partisan reasons. If every official in government was so honorable that he would turn in any wrongdoer he was aware of, even if the offender was a fellow party member, national and state governments alike would be basketcases. Of course, eventually politicians would learn to behave and government would be more effective than ever.