New York's Republican Senator Alfonse D'Amato may be considered a lightweight on serious affairs of state, but when it comes to taking care of constituents, he is in a class by himself. After narrowly capturing the seat of the highly respected but terminally ill Senator Jacob Javits in 1980, the "Pothole Senator" easily won re-election in 1986 as a first-rate fixer who answers phone calls and delivers goodies to the home front. Said an admiring colleague: "He works harder than any Congressman."
Perhaps too hard. In the varied scandals involving improper political influence that have beset the capital, one name keeps...