The dog ate Green's homework

Here's a shocker. John Nichols at the Cap Times says he's always liked Rep. Mark Green. Likes his taste in fiction or something.

But he doesn't like Green's refusal to return about $30,000 in money from Tom DeLay's political action committee. Nichols writes:

The latest line is that the Green camp - which has converted $1.3 million from his federal campaign fund to help pay for his gubernatorial race - might return $2,000 that DeLay's PAC contributed in 2003 to Green. Green aide Mark Graul says the remaining $27,400 is "long gone."

Green should ask himself a serious question: Is Mark Graul actually as stupid as that statement makes him seem, or does Graul think the people of Wisconsin are stupid enough to fall for this "dog ate my homework" excuse?

The bottom line is this: The campaign funds of career politicians are ongoing entities powered by constant infusions of money from their allies. Green's fund has benefited from substantial contributions from the leadership PAC of a man who has been indicted for serious crimes related to the raising and spending of campaign funds.

If Green wants to be governor of Wisconsin, he should recognize the necessity that he return all of the money that has flowed from DeLay's coffers to his over the years. If Green does not recognize that necessity, then he fails to meet the high ethics standard that Wisconsin voters have a right to apply - and, on a disappointing personal note, he will turn out to be something less than the man I thought he was.