RESPONSIBILITY IS A CONSERVATIVE ISSUE :

In Growing Bad News, Risk for Bush and GOP (Dana Milbank, June 28, 2002, Washington Post)

For two days in a row, President Bush has inveighed against irresponsible WorldCom Inc., executives -- an aggressive response that reflects the potential danger a wave of corporate scandal represents for Bush and the GOP. [...]

The urgency of the matter was reflected in the distraction it caused Bush while attending the meetings of the Group of Eight industrial nations in Canada. During separate news conferences with Britain's Tony Blair and Russia's Vladimir Putin, Bush angrily criticized "corporate leaders who have not upheld their responsibility," calling WorldCom's actions "outrageous" and vowing to "hold people accountable" for fooling employees and investors.

This is a fight that President Bush can win and in the process transform the image of the GOP as mere protectors of the privileged. He sounded the theme of responsibility effectively in his campaign. Here's what he said in his acceptance s[peech at the Convention :

We have discovered that who we are is more important than what we have. And we know we must renew our values to restore our country.

This is the vision of America's founders.

They never saw our nation's greatness in rising wealth or advancing armies, but in small, unnumbered acts of caring and courage and self-denial.

Their highest hope, as Robert Frost described it, was "to occupy the land with character."

And that, 13 generations later, is still our goal ... to occupy the land with character.

In a responsibility era, each of us has important tasks -- work that only we can do.

So just return to that message. "The 1990s were a time of material plenty but of irresponsibilty in high places. From the White House to the corporate board room, misconduct was excused so long as stock portfolios went up. But at the start of the 21st Century we are called upon to reoccupy the land with character. The CEO who defrauds stockholders and steals millions of dollars is no different than the armed cfriminal who holds up a bank. As we hunt down and punish the later, so we must root and jail the former." Posted by Orrin Judd at June 28, 2002 9:38 AM