MISSOURI WATCH: PACKWOOD: IS HE A MONSTOR OR JUST A MIRROR OF SYSTEM?

"Boy, I'm skating on thin ice here." -- Entry in Sen. Packwood's diary

Because the ordeal lasted much longer than the 0.J. Simpson murder trial, involved embarrassing behavior by one of the nation's top political leaders and eventually reduced the defendant to public humiliation, a great many Americans will now want to put the Bob Packwood case behind them.

That would be a mistake, for clearly the results of the Oregon senator's case point to an underlying condition in the U.S. political process that will not go away simply because one legislator will leave office at the end of this month.

By now just about every literate American should have some idea of at least a portion of the senator's list of sins and transgressions, which run the gamut from sexism to blatant extortion. Despite this, he had earned a reputation as a hard-working, even astute lawmaker who not only knew the ins and outs of the political process but also knew a great deal about legislation that was under consideration in the U.S. Senate. He was, in other words, a moral dichotomy who not only tried to seduce members of the opposite sex but also possessed enough virtue to know he had an obligation to the public to be fully informed about official business at hand.

Anyone who assumes that upon Packwood's departure from the Capitol, the nation's political process will be freed of mortal sins is sadly mistaken. The transgressions were present before Packwood was born, and until we change the process that breeds both seducers and cheats in public life, we will witness the sins long after this senator departs.

The conditions and circumstances that produce the Packwoods in politics have long been contemplated by those who view them first hand. It should shock no one to learn that the same tactics practiced by the Oregon senator in Washington are present much closer to home, in Missouri's state Capitol.

There are lawmakers in Jefferson City who pursue women with the same fervor as Bob Packwood in Washington. There are legislators in our state who milk money-laden lobbyists with the same eagerness as their counterparts in the nation's Capitol. There is no greater tolerance for the wishes of special interests in Washington than exists in Jefferson City.

Having confirmed their presence in both capitals, it should be added that, while transgressions are similar, the degree is greater in the District of Columbia than in Cole County because stakes are higher, not because morals are lower.

It must also be noted that while these abominable practices exist, they are not pursued by a majority in either Capitol. The rank-and-file lawmaker in Jefferson City is both conscientious and honest, interested not at all in sexual conquests. Most members of Congress pursue the same virtues.

But what makes the presence of Bob Packwood or Dan Rostenkowski or Judi Moriarty or Bill Webster so disturbing is that so few had a dissolute agenda upon entering public life. It was the exposure to the political process that lead them to the belief they could ignore society's rules with impunity, even with honor. They became so enamored with the power of politics that they were willing to forgo their own previously high standards of conduct in exchange for either a continuum of power or its expansion.

In a real sense, the transgressors are seduced by a process that is designed to serve the common welfare.

How else explain the hope of Sen. Packwood that he could collect sufficient cash from lobbyists he had aided in the past to purchase a two-bedroom town house? How else explain the willingness of Missouri officials to embark on vacations paid by lobbyists representing companies with axes to grind in Jefferson City? The rationale for these sins is that the favors being asked will harm no one, and some perpetrators can even convince themselves that the public's welfare is being advanced, by satisfying the needs of large companies which pay huge taxes and employ hundreds, even thousands of workers.

Granted, this is self-delusion, but officials who work long hours and become proficient in the art of government often use the excuse that they deserve something extra for their efforts, which often go unheralded and unrecognized by constituents back home. There probably isn't a legislator or congressman who feels his work in the corridors of government is properly recognized by his or her constituents. The longer this absence of recognition extends, the more deserving the officials feel of special favors from those who are in a position to make them happen.

The American public has long had a reflexive desire to punish those who gain too much power or display arrogance for too long a period of time. A political figure who wins recognition from his political peers is destined to inherit a similar degree of disregard from his constituents, who will quickly brand him as indifferent to constituent sensibilities.

Only the most gullible believe that none of the sins charged to the senior senator from Oregon will be present when he departs, and only the least informed believe that broad use of power will disappear when House Speaker Bob Griffin steps down at the end of this year. The Packwood agenda is still being pursued in Washington, and Bob Griffin's power over the Missouri House is the envy of a large, bipartisan segment of the General Assembly.

The transgressions of public figures have their counterparts in the public at large. Voters are indifferent to their responsibilities, just as are public servants. Voters cast ballots designed to enhance their own private interests, just as do legislators and congressmen. The public follows power with no less eagerness than politicians.

Bob Packwood may be more of a mirror of the American political system than we care to admit.

~Jack Stapleton of Kennett is the editor of the Missouri News and Editorial Service.