# Is Bush's Government More Corrupt Than Others? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 31, 2008, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bushs-government-more-corrupt-than-others/443459 "2008-03-31T22:22:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bushs-government-more-corrupt-than-others/443459/1 "2008-03-31T22:22:15Z")
Or are we just better informed about scandals and improper dealings than in the past? Today Bush’s [HUD chief resigned](http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/31/hud.resignation/index.html), and that’s just the most recent of the long list of questionable appointments in his circle. However, I’m perfectly willing to hear arguments that I’m wrong and that, as I said, I’m just hearing more about them than I did about, say, Clinton, due to the wealth of media. ---
**Author:** ![Anomalous\_Reading](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Anomalous\_Reading](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anomalous_Reading)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bushs-government-more-corrupt-than-others/443459/2 "2008-03-31T22:33:32Z")
Yes. There have been some [doozies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teapot_Dome) though. The red color on the ballot inoculates them, to some degree, from suspicion or righteous indignation. If you love God and country as much as a Republican (cough) then you must be ok… I’m really tired of the free pass they are getting from the same people who got so upset with Clinton… not that everyone is that way, but some are. It just looks a bit funny. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bushs-government-more-corrupt-than-others/443459/3 "2008-04-01T00:59:31Z")
Funny you should mention that. I’m now reading [The Teapot Dome Scandal; How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country](http://www.amazon.com/Teapot-Dome-Scandal-Harding-Country/dp/1400063167/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207011427&sr=1-1), and I keep thinking how these guys make any admin before or since look like Jesus Christ and Buddha combined. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bushs-government-more-corrupt-than-others/443459/4 "2008-04-01T02:26:54Z")
I doubt it very much. Off the top of my head, Grant, Harding, Truman and Reagan probably all had more corruption going on during their administrations. Although none of them were personally involved in the financial shenanigans of their underlings. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bushs-government-more-corrupt-than-others/443459/5 "2008-04-01T02:42:20Z")
One thing is that we simply don’t know very much about how this administration operates. The Republican-controlled Congress did really no investigation of the administration during their tenure, and any investigations that were done were pretty much [whitewashes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_Report_of_Pre-war_Intelligence_on_Iraq). The Democratic Congress has been trying to do oversight, and has been shut down on many fronts, including the administration [defying subpoenas](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/10/usa?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront), [destroying records](http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/03/19/judge-hands-white-house), and out and out [perjury](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19975387/). At this time, we really don’t know the breadth or depth of the corruption (or lack of) in this administration, and most of it won’t come to light until the next presidency, if ever. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bushs-government-more-corrupt-than-others/443459/6 "2008-04-01T03:14:59Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] I doubt it very much. Off the top of my head, Grant, Harding, Truman and Reagan probably all had more corruption going on during their administrations. Although none of them were personally involved in the financial shenanigans of their underlings. [/QUOTE] According to what I’m reading (see above), Harding was quite aware of what went on. He was bought out entirely by the oilmen. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bushs-government-more-corrupt-than-others/443459/7 "2008-04-01T03:21:23Z")
Also recall that in recent history, the Reagan administration has set a [relatively high bar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_administration_scandals) for sheer corruption: > [@Wiki](#): > > A total of 225 people who served in the Reagan administration either quit, were fired, arrested, indicted, or convicted for either breaking the law or violating the Ethics Code ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bushs-government-more-corrupt-than-others/443459/8 "2008-04-01T03:30:11Z")
[QUOTE=Love Rhombus] \*\*Is Bush’s Government More Corrupt Than Others? \*\* [/QUOTE] Bush’s **Administration** (a term used on the U.S. as a rough equivalent to “government” under parliamentary systems) is indeed more certifiably corrupt than any since the Harding Administration, and well surpassing any corruption in Johnson’s, Nixon’s or Clinton’s. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bushs-government-more-corrupt-than-others/443459/9 "2008-04-01T10:26:18Z")
\>Bush’s Administration is indeed more certifiably corrupt than any since… Tell us more, BrainGlutton! Let’s see some certification! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bushs-government-more-corrupt-than-others/443459/10 "2008-04-01T13:29:15Z")
Anyway, [if McCain becomes POTUS, W gets a pass.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/04/mccain-suggests-he-wont-_n_89889.html)