Editorial: Hypocrisy doesn’t stop this candidate

Sunday, Aug. 22, 1999 | 9:35 a.m.

When Republicans won control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, part of their success was due to their support for term limits. Term-limits advocates argued that Washington was chock-full of longtime legislators who would do whatever it took to get re-elected, including getting pork-barrel projects for their home districts, rather than doing what was in the nation's best interests. In a bid to show how committed they were, even if term limits failed to win approval in Congress, some vowed to impose voluntarily term limits and return home after six years.

One of those capitalizing on term limits fever was Republican George Nethercutt, who beat Democratic House Speaker Tom Foley, D-Wash. But now Nethercutt and some others from that 1994 freshman class are reneging on their commitments, saying they were mistakes. This has made for some amusing moments, such as a fund-raiser Wednesday in Seattle for Nethercutt.

On hand were House Speaker Dennis Hastert and a member of the Washington state congressional delegation, Rep. Jennifer Dunn. They both stressed Nethercutt's seniority and influence but, as the Seattle Post-Intelligencer noted in a story, these were the very issues Foley advanced in 1994 before he was defeated. The irony was obviously lost on Dunn when she said Nethercutt brings "terrific clout for the state of Washington." It will be interesting to see how forgiving voters are to congressmen who now all of a sudden have a newfound respect for experienced leadership in Washington.