As I watched Bob Packwood’s tearful farewell to his Senate colleagues on the news last week, I was truly moved. In a way, I found it inspirational. Specifically, it inspired me to change the channel.

The fact that Packwood is being allowed to quietly slip away without apologizing for his behavior, or even admitting he has done anything wrong, is a disgrace.

The Senate Ethics committee should have held public hearings into the incident in the first place. Packwood’s accusers would have had the opportunity to tell their side of the story, and Packwood could have defended himself. I would have liked to watch the guy squirm for a while.

The unanimous vote by the Ethics Committee to recommend removing Packwood was too little too late. Packwood was able to resign before his colleagues could throw him out, taking his cushy pension with him.

Let’s not think that the Senate’s sudden turn against Packwood had anything to do with his actions. I would venture to guess that many of his colleagues, like Packwood himself, don’t believe he did anything wrong. After all, if you can’t exploit your power for your own benefit, what’s the point in becoming a senator, anyway?

Packwood’s ouster was political, pure and simple. Only last month, Packwood was being defended by Sen. Mitch McConnell, chair of the Ethics Committee, and Sen. Bob Dole.

Dole, once thought to be a sure bet for the Republican nomination for president, has seen his campaign lose momentum in recent weeks. Dole probably realized his campaign can’t afford to cover for Packwood anymore, so he let the Ethics Committee sacrifice Packwood to the press.

Another factor is the senators on the committee whom Packwood put in a very awkward position. At one time, Packwood fought tooth and nail against holding public hearings to investigate the allegations against him.

The Republican senators on the committee probably thought they were defending one of their own when they voted against the hearings. The vote ended in a 3-3 tie, and the call for public hearings was defeated.

After the committee vote, Packwood all of a sudden decided he wanted public hearings to be held so he could exonerate himself and confront his accusers. This left the senators who voted against the hearing having to explain their votes to their constituents. They probably didn’t appreciate that.

Not only did Packwood make his ex-supporters on the committee look bad, he had the gall to be mad at them when they got they revenge and voted for his expulsion, calling the vote, “totally and absolutely outrageous.”

He even had the nerve to complain about not having the opportunity to confront his accusers. He would have had that opportunity if he would have gone along with public hearings in the first place.

Though skilled politically, Packwood’s performance in the face of scandal has been poor. His denials, excuses and attempts to cover up the evidence are particularly offensive to me. Instead of coming up with one bullshit story and running with it, Packwood has used several, each more ridiculous than the previous one.

Packwood has claimed that he has never even met some of the women who have accused him of sexually harassing them. He has also claimed that he may have met some of them, but was too drunk to remember. Brilliant defense, Bob.

The fact that Packwood, even now, doesn’t think he did anything wrong is appalling. He has said the actions he is accused of were merely kisses, nothing more. Being a United States Senator does not give a man the right to stick his tongue down the throat of any woman, especially women he doesn’t even know.

Packwood has also claimed that his incriminating diaries contain false information about many events. Does this man really expect us to believe that he lied in his own diary?

These alleged inaccuracies provided Packwood with a convenient excuse to “correct” some of the more incriminating passages before turning the diaries over to the committee.

Packwood was an effective politician, but his blatant abuse of his power is inexcusable. Instead of being thrown out in disgrace, which is what he deserved, he was allowed to resign, pointing out the highlights of his political career during his speech. It also gave other senators the opportunity to praise poor Bob and chastise the committee for its treatment of him.

I find it hard to believe the Packwood incident is an isolated one. Hopefully, other senators will learn that it is an honor to be elected to serve in the senate. The power that comes with that position should be honored and respected, not abused.

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Steven Martens is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Cedar Rapids.