Hogue and Hirono lackluster candidates

THE ISSUE Neither the Republican nor the Democrat inspire great confidence.

VOTERS in the primary election winnowed the crowded field of candidates for the 2nd Congressional District to Democrat Mazie Hirono and Republican Bob Hogue.

They are the voters' choices to represent Windward Oahu and the neighbor islands in Washington, D.C., but we are not convinced that one will do a better job than the other.

Hirono has a better grasp of the issues and is aggressively Democratic, running as much against the entrenched Republican majority in the dysfunctional House as against Hogue.

The genial Hogue says he can act independently but on most issues staunchly toes the Republican Party line. He voices predictable campaign sound bites, saying he supports education, small business, family and "hard-working people," positions any politician would espouse.

A point in Hogue's favor is that he lives in the district, while Hirono does not. But neither has shown a deep understanding of the neighbor islands' problems and of voters who rightly feel their interests fall second to those of urban Oahu voters.

Hirono's thin edge is that a small Democratic majority could finally push the Bush administration toward accountability, but continued partisanship won't fix what's wrong with a do-nothing Congress.