Conrad Burns, first Abramoff casuality?

A Montana newspaper, The Missoula Missoulian, has told Senator Conrad Burns that he's damaged goods and for the good of the Republican Party he should call it quits.

Montana Democrats have got the perfect candidate to help them take the U.S. Senate seat up for election next year away from the Republicans. His name is Conrad Burns.

Burns, of course, is the three-term Republican incumbent. As a candidate for re-election, however, he may prove more valuable to the Democrats than to his own political party. Of greater concern is the likelihood that a race involving Burns next year is most unlikely to involve much serious discussion of government policy and almost certainly will be dominated by matters of ethics.

With the election less than a year away, Burns finds himself embroiled in a serious lobbying scandal. He's been named one of four members of Congress who are included in a U.S. Justice Department influence-peddling investigation centered on indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Burns took more money from Abramoff, his clients and other donors connected to Abramoff than any other member of Congress - nearly $150,000 between 2001 and 2004. Some large donations nearly coincided with votes or actions taken by Burns favorable to Abramoff's clients. In one instance, Burns helped an Abramoff client, one of the wealthier Indian tribes in the country, in Michigan, to land a federal grant through a program intended to help poor tribes build new schools. In another instance, according to the Associated Press, Burns changed his position on a matter involving the Northern Mariana Islands' garment industry after taking meetings and donations from Abramoff and clients.

They casually suggest that should Burns decide for reelection he will all but hand the seat to the Democrats.