Ensign didn’t deserve free pass by resigning

Dennis Pfeifer, Las Vegas

Friday, April 29, 2011 | 2:03 a.m.

It isn’t hard to figure out John Ensign’s motivation for resigning his U.S. Senate seat. By stepping down, he was no longer under the Senate Ethics Committee’s jurisdiction.

So why a free pass for Ensign and an indictment for Doug Hampton? I don’t believe for a minute that Hampton went on job interviews seeking the position of lobbyist without Ensign’s direction. So, if I do something unethical, do I get to quit and get a free pass?

Ensign said he was working hard for the people of Nevada — to gain back their confidence. If that was the case, then why did he resign to save his own skin?

Ensign’s megaego conjured up delusions that his marital problems would simply evaporate. Moreover, it’s not hard to figure out what path Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval was going to take, as he announced Wednesday that he would replace Ensign with Rep. Dean Heller, also a Republican.

One didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that Sandoval was going to appoint someone friendly to his philosophy — no new taxes, firing teachers and nullifying tenure, gutting the public schools and higher education, breaking the backs of public employees and busting unions.