In case you haven’t heard, some are saying that Senator Max Baucus of Montana was drunk when he spoke on the Senate floor during the health care debate. Video of his sloppy performance is posted all over the internet. For a great objective analysis see Mark Schenker’s December 30, 2009 post on Associated Content.
Senator Baucus is a Democrat, so it would not be surprising to see him attacked from Republicans. However, if indeed the Senator was drunk, it should be noted that substance abuse and addiction problems are not unique to one political party. For instance alcohol addiction can be caused by genetic and environmental factors. Both factors do not have to be present for a drinker to become dependent on alcohol. Alcohol depedence is not caused by one's political philosophy.
Senator Baucus' judgment was already under fire after he recommended a staffer-turned-girlfriend to be the U.S. attorney for Montana. See a sample article here from the Washington Post.
If Senator Baucus was drunk, it would be right to report on the incident and call him out. Those responsible for creating the laws of this nation should be held to a very high personal and moral standard. Alcoholism is a disease, but the conduct of a drunk must not be condoned. Slamming and confronting a drunk, and making him realize that he has a problem, is often how treatment begins.
Link back to Substance Abuse CLE
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