More (ethical) trouble for Republicans

A few days after it became obvious that the GOP was rooting for three of its congressional members to resign to have a better hope of keeping their seat comes news of even more ethical trouble from Republicans.

• Rep. Weller's connections to Latin America

The Chicago Tribune printed a detailed investigation today of Illinois Rep. Weller's land deals in Nicaragua. The bottom line:

Weller, a southwest suburban congressman with a fondness for Latin America, has sunk a large share of his investment capital into a land development in Nicaragua. But he didn't declare the extent of his holdings on his required congressional disclosures, and he indicated dramatically different purchase prices for the land in American and Nicaraguan records.

The article is a lenghty one, and the Tribune runs through all of the discrepancies of his financial disclosures and real estate deals. Allegations of unethical behavior have always been following Weller, but this article might signal the beginning of much more serious trouble. Weller has never had to face a close re-election race, but his district is a tight one: Bush got 53% of the vote here in 2004. If Weller becomes the Republican caucus's latest Doolittle, expect Democrats to target the district.

• The TNR profiles Stevens

The New Republic came out with a profile of Senator Ted Stevens, one of the Republican Senators currently investigated by the FBI. Michael Crowley calls Stevens "the Senate's angriest man" and begins by describing an appalling episode in which Stevens blames then fellow Alaska Senator Mike Gravel for the death of his wife in a plane crash because Ms. Stevens would not have been traveling at that moment if Gravel had not blocked a bill Stevens was working on! Crowley goes on,

In the 30 years since, Stevens has continued to lash out at and threaten his colleagues for far less grave offenses, from opposing oil drilling in Alaska to blocking his obscene pet spending projects. "I'm a mean, miserable S.O.B.," he once proudly told his colleagues. And yet, he rose to awesome heights of influence in the Senate, controlling billions of dollars in public money. Now, with federal investigators closing in on him on charges that include accepting home renovations from an Alaska businessman to whom he steered lucrative federal contracts, the Gravel episode underscores a minor mystery of recent Washington politics: How was Ted Stevens able to turn the fear and loathing he engendered in others into a political asset?

Crowley goes on to describe the terror that reigns in the Senate because of Stevens, who writes off friends, picks enemies and seeks revenge for the smallest offenses. He describes how Stevens puts anonymous holds on bills proposed by Senators who he thinks have crossed him, and how he compares himself to the Hulk, even wearing a tie depicting the green creature.

To be fair, Crowley ends the article by praising Stevens for managing to be an effective Senator in passing bills and bringing money back to his state - for bullying fellow senators effectively, if you will. But in the context of the ethical investigations against Ted Stevens, one has to wonder when such profiles start hurting the incumbent.

• More retirements to come?

To make matters worse, Republicans might soon have to defend more open seats. A week after John Warner announced his retirement, Chuck Hagel has called a press conference for Monday to announce his future plans. The conventional wisdom is that he will retire, setting up a bataille royale between Republicans and former Senator Bob Kerrey who has hinted he will jump in the race if Hagel retires. While this has nothing to do with ethical trouble, it increases the GOP's pressure a little bit more at the end of a difficult week.

And then Republicans are gearing up for the extremely difficult defense of an open House seat in Virginia. Tom Davis represents an increasingly blue seat, and he is now looking to jump into the Senate race left open by John Warner's retirement. The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza ranks the district the most vulnerable to take-over in the 2008 cycle and has this to say about it:

Rep. Tom Davis (R) hasn't formally declared for the seat being vacated by Sen. John Warner (R) but -- trust us -- he's running. Davis' departure from this northern Virginia seat creates a terrific pickup opportunity for House Democrats. The district went narrowly for President Bush in 2004 and 2000 but the D.C. suburbs, which comprise most of the seat's population, have been trending more and more Democratic in recent elections. Add the likely candidacy of Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly (D) to the district's demographics and this race looks like a turnover.

Not to mention that the Club for Growth is already targeting Rep. Davis in the Senate primary for Davis's moderate positions on economic issues, proving that Virginia Republicans are on their way to a bloody primary.