Voinovich has opportunity to leave his mark in Senate

In his eight years in the U.S. Senate, Republican George V. Voinovich has been part of the majority. And yet, the word most often used to describe his tenure is maverick. Not partisan and certainly not political.
But this isn't to suggest that the former governor of Ohio and former mayor of Cleveland is Republican by name only. In the just concluded general election campaign, he publicly supported Republican Sen. Mike DeWine in his re-election bid and Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell in the contest for governor. DeWine and Blackwell both lost.
Voinovich's reputation as a maverick stems from his willingness to break with his party in Congress and with President George Bush on such key issues as tax cuts and the nomination of John Bolton to be ambassador to the United Nations.
Now, his reputation is preceding his ninth year in the Senate -- as a member of the minority. Democrats will be in control and Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-13th, will become the junior member of the Senate from Ohio. Brown defeated DeWine in this month's election.
But because Democrats have a sliver of a lead, compromise will be necessary. And that's where the senior senator from Ohio will come in.
Here's how the Associated Press put it:
"Sen. George Voinovich, after years as an outspoken maverick, is now seen as a key cog for cooperation in a still closely divided Congress."
The wire service story quoted Frank Maisano, an energy industry spokesman, thus: "This is the type of environment that will work for a guy like George Voinovich. In a collaborative discussion where you have to work across party lines, he can play a much higher role."
Lest anyone think Voinovich is just being disagreeable to grab headlines, consider this: While he opposed Bolton's initial nomination -- President Bush was forced to make a recess appointment -- the senator now says that he will vote to confirm.
Voinovich says the misgivings he had about Bolton's fitness to represent the U.S. in the world organization have been overcome by the ambassador's performance.
National attention
But it is on the issue of federal government spending that the senator has attracted national attention. His vote against the president on a two-year extension of tax cuts for capital gains and dividends made him persona non grata in the Republican caucus. But Voinovich was unfazed, and went so far as to suggest that rather than cutting taxes at a time of historically high budget deficits and the ballooning national debt, Congress should consider enacting a tax increase to pay for the war in Iraq and for the costs associated with the recovery of regions that were hard-hit by Hurricane Katrina.
This month's general election, which saw Democrats make huge political gains across the country, has given Voinovich the impetus to continue his fight against runaway spending and waste in government -- and against business as usual in Congress.
"I want to become much more aggressive with my own colleagues in my own caucus," he told the Associated Press. "The tidal wave of this election was a reflection of the fact that Americans are wondering, 'Are you relevant to what I'm concerned about?'"
That is a question that should guide every elected official, not only in Washington, but at all levels of government.
We look forward to Voinovich and Democrat Brown working together for the good of the American people.