Ford's Motor Sputtering

The FBI went fishing in Memphis and caught a big fish. The bait? A $10,000 bribe. The catch? State senator John Ford.

Ford was arrested Thursday as part of a sting operation in which undercover agents created a sham company named E-Cycle Management and posed as executives who asked lawmakers to introduce bills to help their business.

According to the indictments, the lawmakers and two other men took $92,000 to usher bills for E-Cycle through the Legislature. Ford is accused of taking $55,000 between August and April.

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Over three decades in the Tennessee Senate, Ford has lost paternity lawsuits, given a political job to a girlfriend, used campaign money for his daughter's wedding and been successfully sued for sexual harassment. The Senate Ethics Committee and a federal grand jury are also investigating $429,000 Ford received from a consulting company with financial ties to the state's Medicaid program.

It's important to remember that Ford has yet to be convicted, but he is the model of what a politician shouldn't be. I suspect larger political forces are at work here (Ford's nephew will be challenging Republican leader Bill Frist for senate in 2006), but let's hope the people of Tennessee don't need a jury to tll them: flush Ford.

Schweitzer's Populist Vision

What does a Democratic governor of a red state look like? Check out this profile of Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer here. Certain frothy left-wing bloggers see a big future, or at least a model in winning the west, in Schweitzer, who was a farmer before becoming the first Democrat in 16 years to sit in the big seat in Helena.

Maryland Gov's 'Friday afternoon massacre'

I was born in Baltimore, and much of my family still lives in Maryland. So it was with great disappointment that I read:

Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. vetoed a bill yesterday that would have granted rights to gay partners who register with the state, concluding after weeks of intense deliberations that the legislation threatened "the sanctity of traditional marriage."

The emotionally charged bill was among 24 that Ehrlich (R) rejected yesterday afternoon, including legislation to raise the state's minimum wage by $1, allow early voting in elections and heighten oversight of the state's troubled juvenile justice system. Another measure sought by gay rights activists that would have extended a property transfer tax exemption to domestic partners was also scuttled.

We're not talking about gay marriage here, people. We're talking about basic human rights: "the right to be treated as an immediate family member during hospital visits, to make health care decisions for incapacitated partners and to have private visits in nursing homes." Ehrlich is up for reelection in 2006. I hope my friends and family in Maryland show him the way out.