Robert A. Taft II: His Initials are RAT

As I mentioned before, Governor Bob Taft pleaded no contest to four counts of filing false financial disclosure statements. What really bothers me about Governor Taft is that he's not only corrupt, he's also boring. When Democrats are crooked, they at least provide some entertainment value. Think of former Governor Edwin Edwards (D-Louisiana), former Mayor Buddy Cianci (D-Providence), and former U.S. Rep. Jim Traficant (D-Youngstown). Governor Taft's administration, on the other hand, has been like watching paint dry. I would have expected better from the first sitting Ohio governor to be found guilty of a crime.

What I want to know is, Did Governor Taft send his false disclosure statements through the mail? Probably not. One of the advantages of working in Columbus is that you can have one of your flunkies hand-deliver your fraudulent documents to the Ohio Ethics Commission. But, if he did mail those documents, I'd hope that, in the interest of consistency, the U.S. attorney's office would ask for mail fraud indictments against the governor. After all, the feds went after Joe Jones for the same thing.

Ohio Democrats are not yet calling for Governor Taft's impeachment. That seems like the right move to me. If Governor Taft hangs around, he'll be a big drag on the Republican ticket in next year's elections. For that reason, I wouldn't be surprised if GOP leaders pressure the governor to resign.

At Toledo Tales, Subcomandante Bob has a hilarious take on the Taft scandal. Check it out!