Bye Bye Tom

As much as I won't miss Tom Delay's partisan and ethically questionable politics, I wonder if it isn't indicative of a larger problem: politics and power attracts exactly the wrong personality type. That is hyper-competitive, ego-driven, monomaniacal, power-mongers. This quote from an MSNBC article illustrates my point (although I am not all that familiar with Jim Wright's personality).

Jim Wright, the Democratic
speaker, resigned that year after being found in violation of House conflict of
interest rules. His tormentor, the Republican Newt Gingrich, became speaker in
1994 following the Republican sweep of Congress, but was forced out by his own
party in 1998 following a series of investigations into alleged ethics
violations.

Mr DeLay, who held the number two
post in the House behind speaker Dennis Hastert until he was forced to step down
after a criminal indictment on money-laundering charges last year, is now the
latest House leader to see his career destroyed by a corruption scandal.

This also seems to be true in the business world as well, e.g. Bernie Ebbers and Ken DeLay. These people get into power and think that they are smarter and better than everyone else, and that the rules don't apply to them. Tom DeLay to a waiter in a non-smoking government facility trying to get him to put out his cigar: "I am the government!"

Luckily this type of conceit eventually seems to bring itself down. But the damage done in the meantime is unfortunate indeed.