The 'inquisitors' who will frame Enron story

One is a peppery Cajun whose Louisiana district is home to the firm that makes Tabasco sauce. Another is a former FBI agent from Ohio not known for quietly following the party line. A third is a Connecticut Democrat whose political skills were evident at such a young age that his college nickname was "Senator."

These three - Rep. Billy Tauzin (R), Rep. Michael Oxley (R), and Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D) - are among the most notable of the lawmakers overseeing the sprawling landscape of the Enron hearings. With Sen. Carl Levin (D) of Michigan, Sen. Phil Gramm (R) of Texas, and a few others, they form a loose-knit council of Grand Inquisitors whose own motives and backgrounds will do much to determine what the congressional probes produce.

It is witnesses and documents, of course, which will tell the tale of the giant energy firm's descent into bankruptcy. But it is the inquistors

who will elicit that story, frame it for public consumption, and propose any legislative remedies. "We are uncovering new leads every day. And as explosive as this has been to date, we believe the real fireworks are still down the road," says Ken Johnson, a Tauzin aide.

The spectacle of Enron hearings is now playing on Capitol Hill full time. So far they have produced such notable moments as former Enron chief executive Jeffrey Skilling testifying that he was ignorant of some of the company's most questionable practices - and a panel of other ex-high-ranking Enronites saying under oath that Mr. Skilling knew exactly what was going on.

The long-time driving force behind Enron's rise, former chairman Kenneth Lay, was set to swear to tell the truth before a Senate committee today. But he's not likely to say much more than that. His spokeswoman has already signaled that Mr. Lay will refuse to testify.

Many Americans are paying relatively little attention to the Enron affair, judging by a Christian Science Monitor/ TIPP poll conducted over the weekend. More than half said they were paying "only some," or less, attention to Enron. About 40 percent of Americans are paying a "great deal" or "quite a bit" of attention.

But feelings are strong about the impact of the case. Some 75 percent see Enron's collapse having a negative impact on the US economy. Solid majorities want to see new safeguards for 401(k) retirement plans (67.4 percent), stricter accounting standards (56.9 percent), and tougher disclosure requirements (58 percent) for publicly held companies.

For both parties there are big stakes in the outcome of the Enron probes. Republicans were at the receiving end of 73 percent of the $5.8 million that the company poured into political campaigns in the last decade. GOP leaders have continually described the Enron debacle as a corporate scandal.

On the other hand, Democrats generally want to portray the affair as both a corporate and a political scandal, due to the long-standing personal and financial ties between Enron and high administration officials, including President Bush himself. In doing so, they must strike a delicate balance, as many top Democrats also took money from Enron and backed legislation that was also supported by the now-bankrupt energy giant.

So far, the most flamboyant of the Grand Inquisitors is Mr. Tauzin of Louisiana, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The undisputed star of the 2000 Firestone Tire hearings, Mr. Tauzin goes after witnesses with a finger-jabbing, staccato style that can derail the most well-coached corporate witnesses.

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