William Jefferson and the CBC

I have been watching this story unfold and don't quite know what to make of the furor of House leaders over the FBI search of Representative William Jefferson (D-LA). There could be a constitutional issue here, and if so it is appropriate to figure it out. But Democrats need to be very careful here in how they respond to Jefferson. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi was right to call for an ethics investigation and Jefferson's removal from the Ways and Means Committee. Perception is everything here, and he looks very guilty. The guy was hiding thousands of dollars in his freezer, after all. (I have thing hidden in my freezer, too, but that is because they were put there 10 years ago and forgotten about.) If Dems want to make something of the culture of corruption in Washington, they need to be scrupulously non-partisan and be as hard or even harder on their own side. The Congressional Black Caucus appears to me to be missing this point in their anger at Pelosi for her comments and actions regarding Jefferson. As Daily Kos says:

Jefferson is innocent until proven guilty -- in a court of law. In the court of politics, perception is reality and he's not looking so hot right now. Yet the CBC wants to make this about race? How about, this is about the Culture of Corruption. CBC members have been quick to pounce on GOP transgressions, even though only one of them -- Duke Cunningham -- has resulted in a conviction.

It's time to realize that Americans deserve clean and honest government. And that transcends any racial, ethnic, religious, and yes, even partisan boundaries.