Rick Allen: “the ethical cloud hanging over Republicans in Washington grows darker. Every good lawyer and judge knows the importance…”

“the ethical cloud hanging over Republicans in Washington grows darker. Every good lawyer and judge knows the importance of avoiding conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest. Last month, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia went hunting in Louisiana with Vice President Cheney, on land owned by an oil executive. They flew on Air Force Two, at taxpayer expense. Three weeks earlier, the Supreme Court agreed to decide In Re Cheney, a case brought to force Vice President Cheney to disclose information about his secret energy task force meetings with oil executives. Justice Scalia said afterwards, ``I do not think my impartiality could reasonably be questioned.'' He is wrong. He has no business deciding a case of enormous significance to his friend and hunting companion. To preserve the integrity of the Supreme Court and to maintain the trust of the public, Justice Scalia should recuse himself from any role in the Cheney case. And Vice President Cheney should have been the first to ask him to do so.”