SOME LESSONS LEARNED

When Mark Richardson of Poplar Bluff was arrested for, among other things, driving while intoxicated on a family outing in Arkansas in May, he chose to keep quiet about it.

There is nothing unusual about that, except Richardson is in the public eye. The Republican representative is the minority leader of the Missouri House of Representatives, a possible contender for the speaker's slot and maybe even a potential candidate for governor.

So when the news broke that Richardson had been charged in Ash Flat, Ark., there were howls, mainly from Democrats who saw an opportunity to smudge the handsome representative's reputation.

But Richardson maintained his innocence. And an Arkansas judge agreed after a four-hour hearing Thursday. The legislator was convincing with evidence that medication he was taking messed up the breath test that showed he exceeded the legal alcohol limit.

No doubt Richardson has learned some valuable lessons from his experience. In the future, he perhaps understands, it would be better to take the offensive in making an announcement about these situations rather than having political opponents do it for you. And, he has probably learned, voters can be acidly unforgiving when politicians are accused of crimes -- even though the American system says they are innocent until proven guilty.

In the end though, the system worked. Richardson was found innocent. Now it will be up to voters and other politicians to decide if they agree with the judge.