McGreedy Is Toast

Several years ago, the two up-and-coming stars of the Democratic party were Gray Davis and Jim McGreevey. We know what happened to Davis, but McGreevey's star has fallen almost as much:

Even by the ethically elastic standards of politics here, the boyish-looking governor of New Jersey has suffered one long headache this month.

First, a prominent gubernatorial fundraiser, who is a trash hauler, was indicted on charges of extorting bribes and campaign contributions from a Middlesex County farmer. (The governor made an unwitting cameo in this scandal, allegedly dropping a code word into a recorded conversation.) A week later, another top political donor, a wealthy developer, was charged with trying to derail a federal investigation of his finances by hiring prostitutes to seduce witnesses, including his brother-in-law.
In the middle of all this, the state commerce secretary -- an ordained minister with a degree in ethics -- resigned after it was revealed that he funneled contracts to the sister of his chief of staff. And the governor's former chief of staff is under investigation for getting contracts to put up billboards on public land while he was running James E. McGreevey's campaign.

Mcgreevey has faced scandal after scandal that involve all the "red-meat" criteria the press loves; sex, money, and power brokering. I'd be surprised if he wins another term if the Pachyderms put up a so-so candidate.