Capitol Issues

Corruption,” said Gibbon, “is the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty.” Hell’s bells, snorted Lyndon Johnson when exasperated by talk about corruption in Saigon, “there is corruption in Beaumont, Texas.” To such a pass have things come this spring that positive thinkers are saying Washington is better off than Beaumont when it comes to symptoms of constitutional liberty.

Is “corruption” too strong a word for what is making headlines here? Consider five things: