Since the Clintons left office, Democrats have been a little dull, resisting the urge to engage in high crimes and misdemeanors. But, lo and behold, now were recovering from a Democratic crime wave in Washington. And, whats so fascinating about the situation is that the self-proclaimed party of peace and love has members who are engaging in downright dangerous, even violent acts.

And theyre getting off scot-free.

First, theres the case of Patrick Kennedyone of the few impaired drivers in the U.S. who apparently never has to worry about failing a field sobriety test, since Capitol Police refused to administer one to him.

Fresh from rehab, the junior Kennedy suggests he now feels goodpresumably without the use of controlled substances. Kennedy sought treatment after his automobile crashed in the middle of the night near the U.S. Capitol. While the police said he appeared intoxicated, they didnt test him for it.

And so, a drunk/drugged driver walks free, without any type of punishment.

Given the number of Americans who die each year from drug or alcohol-related crashesnearly 17,000 in 2004the kids-glove treatment of Kennedy is a national disgrace.

It also makes you wonderwhy should any D.C. teen stop indulging in drugs and alcohol, when he knows that a Congressman can easily indulge and not pay the penalty?

But Capitol criminal activity does not begin and end with Kennedy. Theres also the case of Rep. Cynthia McKinney, who slugged a police officer but was not indicted. What makes this injustice all the more appalling is that McKinney blamed the incident on racial profiling. As House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois) indicated, this embarrassing situation was not the result of profiling, but the result of an ego in overdrive.

Physical assaults are inexcusable. An attack on a law enforcement officer is reprehensible. Why should any D.C. teen respect police, when a Congresswoman doesntand gets away with it?

Here the Democrats are, condemning President George W. Bush for being a warmongering cowboy, when they themselves are wreaking havoc on D.C. streets, showing absolutely no respect for the lawor those who enforce it. Im not sure how any Democrat can, with a straight face, insist on talking about peace in Iraq when members of the party are disrupting the peace on city streets. In addition, we hear ad nauseam about how the Washington ethics scandal will bring down Republicans in Congress, and yet the mainstream media seem to ignore the fact that drunk driving and assault are clearly unethical behavior. Was Rep. Tom DeLay really any more dangerous than Congressman Kennedy after a bender, or Rep. McKinney on a bad hair day?

Of course, the Democrats have all-too-willing accomplices in the national news media. For network reporters, violent acts are not the unforgivable sina refusal to enact campaign finance legislation is. With national polls showing that many members of the national news media support abortion but appear to be personally opposed to church attendance, it shouldnt be surprising that reporters have a skewed idea of what constitutes morality.

In the end, it really doesnt matter if a Congressional representative presents himself or herself as a champion of the poor, the downtrodden, the addicted, the mentally ill, the learning impaired, and the disabled. If he or she engages in criminal conduct and is not punished, he or she is, in fact, an elitist, believing that laws to protect public welfare are for the little peoplenot those who work under the Capitol dome.

Its time Congressional Democrats got a handle on the crime problemtheir own.