'The Torch' takes his fire out of U.S. Senate race
Torricelli pulls out early? Doesn't sound like the manly thing to do, now does it?? Isn't there a penalty for early withdrawal??
Of course, now the future of the US Senate suddenly becomes much cloudier. The odds of a Johnny-come-lately Democrat winning this race are about the same as me being crowned Queen of England. Not gonna happen.... Torricelli has all but handed control of the Senate to the Republicans. Welcome to the Dark Side....
When House Speaker Jim Wright and President Clinton each faced ethics trouble, Robert Torricelli was there for them. When Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu's election was challenged, Torricelli was there for her.
When Hillary Rodham Clinton needed a nudge to run for Senate, Torricelli was there to give it. When Democratic senatorial candidates needed money to run against well-financed Republicans, Torricelli was there to raise it.
But on Monday, as he pulled out of a hopeless campaign to retain the job he always wanted, the senior senator from New Jersey faced the fact that not enough Democrats were there for him.
"I can't be heard," Torricelli complained at a news conference. His ethics, or lack thereof, had dominated his race with Republican Doug Forrester, a political novice who grabbed a double-digit lead in the polls.
Although he was flanked by New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey and Sen. Jon Corzine, Torricelli was all but abandoned by his own party.
I suppose the lesson in this is that you really do reap what you sow. Torricelli put himself in a position that allowed people to question his ethics. It may be tritie, but there is something to be said for avoiding the even the appearance of impropriety. At this point, Torricelli's guilt or innocence is beside the point. By putting himself in a place that allowed people to ask those questions, he has cost himself what by all accounts was a brilliant political career.
Human frailty in action is not a pretty sight, is it? Repeat after me: "There but for the grace of God, go I...."
