Loyalty, consistency have GOP in quandary

It is not just an obligation of the public to elect a candidate to office as the nominee of his party. There has to be a companion gratitude and sense of obligation on the part of the successful candidate to see his party through to success. By agreeing to run for public office in the first place, the candidate is committing to more than just one successful election.

When an officeholder is successfully elected, and then serves successfully, building a base of voter support and credibility, he doesn't do it alone. Those in his party who worked for him and stood loyally by him once he was elected, are equally responsible for this success and are owed reciprocation by the officeholder.

The Republican Party in recent years has been badly stung by successful officeholders who declined to run again or seek a higher office, leaving the party with a weaker candidate who then loses the election to a Democrat. There are dozens of examples that could be cited, but here are few that come to mind:

• The refusal of successful governors like Marc Racicot in Montana, Jeb Bush in Florida, Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin, Bill Owens in Colorado and many others to run against Democrats for U.S. Senate seats or for open seats. This is why the GOP lost the Senate--because of weaker candidates. The best men who could have won the seats refused to take the field. These men did not achieve success and popularity by themselves. They owe it to the party that elected them and stood by them to answer the call when their party is in need.

• Successful officeholders quitting early, refusing to serve out the term the voters elected them to and entrusted to them. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois is the most egregious example, turning his seat over to a Democrat. U.S. Sen. Trent Lott is another--causing a House seat in Mississippi to be lost to a Democrat, when his appointed successor gave up a House set to replace Lott. Short of being near death, it is selfish and unprofessional not to finish what you started.

• Falling into temptation and dishonoring the office to which you were elected, and the people who elected you there, is inexcuseable. That famous sage who said "A public office is a sacred trust," had it exactly right. Men like Sen. Conrad Burns, Rep. Tom Delay, Rep. Mark Foley, Sen. David Vitter and many others who've made the Hall of Shame, have proven costly to the Republican Party, and account for the low ebb the party finds itself in today.

Running for public office is not lark, some lame-brained detour so you can get one more notch in your gunstock. It is a deep responsibility, not to be taken lightly and not to be backed out on when the going gets tough or inconvenient. It is a serious business, to be respected and handled in a professional manner.

The Republican Party has learned this the hard way.