Free Republic

It’s been nearly three months since he last cast a vote on the House floor, but Rep. Thomas H. Kean Jr. has been keeping busy — or at least trying to look like he is. In the New Jersey Republican’s absence, five speeches under his name have appeared in the Congressional Record. Staff in congressional offices continue to work even when their bosses don’t, which is nothing new. But Kean’s disappearance has raised long-overdue questions about transparency on the Hill, some experts say. “The appearance of impropriety is just as bad as the real thing because it casts a cloud...

A new Wall Street Journal/Zogby poll shows Democratic Reps. Robert Menendez and Rob Andrews trailing Republican state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. in a possible Senate race next year in New Jersey. In a mock match-up with Menendez, Kean, the son of former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, wins 43 percent versus 34 percent. Against Andrews, Kean captures 46 percent compared to the Democrat’s 36 percent. The survey — which was released earlier this week and has been eclipsed by New Jersey’s ongoing gubernatorial battle — also shows acting Gov. Richard Codey (D) beating Kean, but Codey has repeatedly said he...