Joey's Take -- Clean Out the Dog House

I may be a dog, but even I know that these political animals running loose in the Beltway and state capitals need to exercise some control when it comes to their private affairs.

Yes, I know some of our founding fathers had their "indiscretions." But that was back before a vicious 24/7 news cycle demanded to be fed. Before media hounds sniffed out any scent of scandal. Back when sex and sensationalism were not the Kibbles 'n Bits of the press. When people understood what it meant to be a PUBLIC official and recognized that this couldn't be a lifetime career choice for that very reason.

Public service should never be a Gravy Train of self-indulgence. Rather, it should be a path of self-sacrifice. Commitment. Accountability. Yes, even in this era of Bill Clinton, John Edwards, Mark Sanford and John Ensign, integrity still matters.

But to get the leaders we need, we can't just run with the pack and vote for who looks good on camera or howls the loudest. We must look beyond the buzz words and the focus group-tested speeches to find the leaders whose actions speak louder than their bark.

It's time to clean out the dog house!

Joey's Take -- Roadkill

Every morning when I'm riding in the redmobile to get Mom to work, I bark at all the bloated deer corpses along the highway. They literally litter the roadside along the Beltway.

Sure, there are barriers to keep them out. But, considering themselves "smarter than the average bear," the deer ignore the fences and cement walls -- even the scent of corpses rotting in the wind -- to get to the easy grazing alongside the road. Those barriers are for other animals -- not them.

Once on the road, they are blinded by the bright lights and confused by the chaos and rush of traffic. But they don't turn tail and head for the woods. Nope. They edge closer and closer to the speeding cars, lured by all that horsepower cruising by them.

Forgetting their natural instincts and all the animals depending on them back home, they sacrifice everything they are, becoming the latest roadkill -- and fodder for all the vultures feeding on the Beltway.

Hmm. Reminds me of some of the political animals lured by the bright lights of D.C.