G.O.P. On The Griddle

Scandal, or at least the persistent allegation of it, is as much a feature of election years as is the stump speech. And so far this season, the G.O.P. seems more besieged than its adversary. After a three-month investigation, Senate sergeant-at-arms William Pickle reported last week that at least two Republican staff members downloaded and circulated some 4,670 confidential files from the computers of Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee members from 2001 to 2003. They did so by exploiting a weakness in the computer security system. The aim: to gain an edge in the rancorous battle over President Bush's judicial nominations. Some...