TOLEDO, Oh. -- Remember Thomas Noe? He was the custodian of the Ohio workman's compensation rare coin fund. And, coincidentally, that rare coin investment mysteriously disappeared in 2004. The New York Times reports, "Mr. Noe was supposed to use state money to buy and sell rare coins as an investments for the compensation fund. Instead, prosecutors said, he used some of the money to pay off his own business debts and to finance a lavish lifestyle. They said he falsified records to conceal the illegal activity." Some of the money was funneled to the Ohio Republican Party. The investigation into the disappearance of the rare coin money uncovered a host of illegal activity within the halls of the statehouse in Columbus, most notably Gov. Bob Taft's failure to report gifts and golf outings. Taft was convicted of a misdemeanor for that, but nonetheless holds the dubious distinction of being the only Ohio governor to be convicted of a crime while in office. Noe, on the other hand, was sentenced to eighteen years in prison.

Is this too long? I submit that betraying the public trust is a very serious crime. Even though no one died, our democratic system took a hit. For this, Noe should be punished. So, too, should key figures of the Bush Administration who allow ridiculous things to happen. These people include Vice President Cheney, for endorsing torture and issuing unconstitutional signing statements, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, for his illegal, poorly-justified, warrantless wiretapping program. We're going to spend the next two years -- and more -- untangling what it is that's been done behind our backs for five years.