Sin and absolution in Washington

[Behind the Aegis]

It is not easy to capture attention for long in this town. Issues rise and fall from the public agenda at a dizzying pace - but the Abramoff affair seems to have put corruption on the agenda for longer than the average scandal.

Those jerks are about to change the rules, and not because they have come to understand the gravity of their deeds, nor because their desire to serve the public suddenly got the better of them. In Washington - and, it would seem, in other capital cities - they mainly understand the language of power: It is power that corrupts, and power that intimidates the corrupt. As Abraham Lincoln said, "If you want to test a man's character, give him power."

The Jack Abramoff affair, which is shaking the very foundations of American society, has far-reaching implications. Abramoff took money from Native American tribes on the pretext of promoting their casinos, and then took more money from them to prevent other tribes from opening similar businesses. He transferred the money to Christian foundations, asking in return that they launch anti-gambling campaigns - in other words, campaigns against gambling enterprises run by those tribes that were not his customers. He made contributions to the campaign funds of many politicians, and arranged for contributions to be made to the funds of others. He took Congressmen on junkets to far-flung places, and wined and dined them in the fancy restaurants he owns.

Abramoff is now on trial, and as part of the deal he has hatched with prosecutors, he has agreed to name those Congressmen who transgressed at his behest. In the final analysis, Abramoff just did what many others do - but he crossed the line. Not the line of corruption; after all, many are corrupt. Not the line of hypocrisy; after all, nearly everyone is guilty of that. Abramoff failed to realize that he should maintain a lower profile, make himself less of a target. For this mistake, he was a victim of the first round of fire, and became a symbol.


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