---

Political dispute
leaves voters in cold

THE ISSUE Governor Lingle's appointment of a businesswoman with tax problems has provoked a controversy.

COUNT voters in the downtown-Kakaako district as the big losers in the mess surrounding Governor Lingle's appointment of Beverly Harbin to fill a vacant state House seat.

Though Harbin is now a card-carrying Democrat, her controversial installation, as well as her impolitic remarks about her newly adopted party and fellow lawmakers, have not endeared her to the majority in the Legislature.

Under the circumstances, her effectiveness in representing her constituency is certainly diminished.

Meanwhile, the blindsided governor, who says she will hone procedures for vetting future appointees, has declined to ask Harbin to resign even though her chief aide says Harbin would have been disqualified had the administration known of her financial problems.

With the weight of government behind them, Lingle's staff members should have been able to discover Harbin's unpaid state tax liens of more than $120,000 that have sparked the dispute -- as a KITV4 news reporter first did.

The governor named Harbin to fill a one-year vacancy in the 28th House district that opened when Rep. Ken Hiraki resigned. Because Hiraki was a Democrat, Lingle was obliged to pick a Democrat, but she rejected the party's suggestions and selected Harbin, whose now-closed auto repair business was the source of the liens.

Democrats predictably denounced the appointment, pouncing on the governor's slip and questioning Harbin's allegiance since she registered as a Democrat a few days after Hiraki announced his intention to resign.

Harbin does herself no favors in trying to cast herself as a victim of political mudslinging since her remarks make it evident she is not averse to slinging mud herself. Moreover, it was her lack of candor that created the dispute.

One thing in her favor: Harbin's financial struggles assure that she knows first hand what it's like to run a troubled small business.

---

BACK TO TOP
|

Storms raise questions
about guns or butter

THE ISSUE The costs of storm recovery is pitted against the cost of the war in Iraq.

Devastating storms have diverted the nation's attention in recent weeks from the escalating violence in Iraq, but the huge cost of reconstructing cities and towns along America's Gulf coast has further increased unease about the Iraq war's price tag, in both lives and dollars.

The growing concern about the war's progress, or lack thereof, is reflected in polls that show a majority of Americans want immediate or partial withdrawal of U.S. troops with fewer than one in three supporting President Bush's handling of the war. Most say they'd rather the money be spent at home.

Yet the administration insists on staying the course, even as Iraq veers toward sectarian conflicts that frustrate U.S. efforts to establish minimal order. The president must acknowledge that there is no dishonor in changing strategies that might save lives of American troops as well as Iraqis.

As the number of military deaths edges closer to the 2,000 mark, the public gains little consolation from top U.S. military officials who soberly reported to Congress this week that the months leading up to elections in Iraq will see more and more violence. Their assessment contrasted sharply with the Bush's by-rote appraisal that "great progress" is being made.

In addition, Bush's assertion that the war will stabilize the region was countered this week by the Saudi foreign minister's pessimistic warning to the administration that the heightening insurgency in Iraq threatens to bleed to neighboring countries.

By and large, the public supported Bush's march to war after 9/11. However, the American psyche has been battered by the storms and fears about the country's financial security, redoubled by a government report that neither the Defense Department nor Congress can reliably say how much the war is costing or how funds are being spent.

This wealth of uncertainty undermines the already shaky trust Americans have in their leaders.

---

---

---