Last week, Ohio's Republican Governor Bob Taft became the state's first sitting governor to be charged with a crime. As Sandy Theis and T.C. Brown report for The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Taft just reached a new milestone -- by being convicted.

Amid whispers of impeachment and shouts for his resignation, Gov. Bob Taft issued a somber apology Thursday and a pledge to finish his term after becoming Ohio's first sitting governor convicted of a crime.

"There are no words to express the deep remorse that I feel over the embarrassment that I have caused for my administration and the people of the state of Ohio," Taft said, his voice cracking.

"I take total responsibility for my mistake, and I'm sorry."

Taft's comments came moments after a Franklin County judge fined him $4,000 -- the maximum financial penalty -- and found him guilty of four misdemeanors for breaking state ethics laws by failing to report golf outings, meals, hockey tickets and other gifts from some of the state's most influential business and political leaders.

The list includes one round of golf, a sweater and golf figurines from tainted rare-coin dealer Tom Noe.

Taft isn't the only Republican Governor taking heat these days. As The Louisville Courier-Journal's Tom Loftus reports, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher, a Republican, is being bashed for alleged corruption and malfeasance these days.

Top Fletcher administration officials formalized "a corrupt political machine" earlier this year to circumvent state civil service law and give more jobs to their supporters, according to a court filing.

The filing yesterday by the state attorney general's office also said the administration put people into all nine state cabinets to act as "eyes and ears" on personnel matters so the secretaries could handle other business.

And citing a statement allegedly made by acting Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert, it said Gov. Ernie Fletcher ordered the firing of Mike Duncan, the cabinet's deputy inspector general, because Duncan had supported Fletcher's 2003 election opponent.

[...]

Nine current or former Fletcher administration officials have been indicted by a special grand jury, including Nighbert and two other Transportation Cabinet officials who were indicted on three misdemeanor counts each involving Duncan's firing.

If there has ever been an opportunity for one party to run on the sheer nation-wide corruption of the other, this is it. Whether it's Tom DeLay, Bob Taft, Ernie Fletcher or others, Republicans across the country have shown a stunning disrespect for laws aimed at curbing the secret influence of powerful interests into politics. In order to win in 2006, the Democrats must make this a front and center issue in every state and district.

Change can occur in this country, but it must be fostered by effective campaigning. This means no more lollygagging by the Democrats; no more flailing about with 72-bullet-point-presentations. Boil it down to a handful of issues -- Republican corruption obviously included -- and victory could be at hand come next November.