For the most part, Republicans have been restrained in their response to ethics scandals surrounding Democrats, most recently House members Charles Rangel and Eric Massa, both of New York.

Too much crowing from Republicans about the current political scandals on the other side of the aisle would surely trigger quick reminders of the GOP's own ethics scandals from the not-so-distant past, including disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, former GOP leader Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas, and former Rep. Mark Foley of Florida, who resigned after being charged with sending sexually explicit text messages to male congressional pages.

Now it's Democrat Massa facing charges of sexual misconduct, in this case allegations of groping male staffers. The now-former lawmaker from Upstate New York appeared on various cable television shows this week offering a variety of explanations for his resignation, including being targeted by the White House for his opposition to the health care reform bill.

Even if Republicans are remaining mostly silent, the public clearly sees that Democrats in Washington are vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy after winning control of Congress with campaign messages promising to end the "culture of corruption" and "drain the swamp" in the Nation's Capital.

Running a national campaign based on the proposition that Democrats have higher moral and ethical standards has put the party in an awkward position as various scandals have erupted in recent weeks.

Rangel, who resigned his position as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, is only the most recent of prominent Demo-crats to face ethics charges.

Outside of Washington, Democrats have been hurt by the scandals created by disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois as well as former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned his job amid a scandal involving a high-end prostitution ring. Spitzer's replacement, Gov. David Patterson, is now facing serious ethics charges that prompted him to announce last week that he would not seek re-election. With the scandal still swirling around Patterson, there is mounting pressure on him to step down.

Another blow to the pledge by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to run the "most ethical, honest and open Congress ever" was William Jefferson, the lawmaker from Louisiana who famously was found to have had $90,000 cash in his Capitol Hill office. Jefferson was re-elected despite allegations of bribery, but he left Congress after being found guilty of corruption and sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Rangel, a 20-year veteran from Harlem, most recently made headlines when he was admonished by the ethics committee for having taken trips to the Caribbean paid for by corporate lobbyists. But over the past few years, allegations have surfaced that Rangel also has misused his office and high-ranking position in fundraising efforts for a major building project that would bear his name at a New York City university. He also made news when it was revealed that he was occupying four rent-controlled apartments in New York City in ways inconsistent with the law.

In addition, it's been reported that Rangel failed to report income from rental property he owns in the Dominican Republic. And failure to properly file and pay income taxes is particularly troubling for the man who heads the House committee responsible for writing tax laws.

The latest scandals surrounding Democrats in Washington and elsewhere are a reminder that ethics violations and corruption are bipartisan issues. Both parties have their share of scandals and scoundrels.

More often than not, though, the scandals hit the party in power, whether Democrats or Republicans. That seems to confirm the theory that power corrupts, and the greater or more entrenched the power, the greater the corruption.

Still, corruption, abuse of power and the too-common attitude of entitlement seen from elected officials in Washington and Harrisburg is taking a toll on citizens' attitude about government. That is confirmed by opinion polls on Congress and the Pennsylvania Legislature at all-time lows.

Term limits might be one solution but, until that happens, active and aggressive media are needed to keep the public informed — and public officials looking over their shoulders.