A whiff of Watergate in the air

By MARTIN DYCKMAN, Times Columnist
Published December 11, 2005

One of the vital strengths of the United States is a Justice Department that prides itself on being above politics. No matter who's in power, the career people there do not check for party labels when they're on the trail of crooks. Neither, for the most part, do the politically appointed district attorneys.

The Randy Cunningham indictment and the bloodhounds baying after Jack Abramoff's congressional courtesans are in keeping with the integrity that prevented the corrupt Spiro Agnew from becoming president at the climax of Watergate.

But it bears remembering what elevated Watergate from a "third-rate burglary" to an impeachable offense: Richard Nixon's attempt to corrupt the Justice Department.

There's a whiff of Watergate in the air.