Editorial: U.S. Representatives

Southwest Florida's two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Connie Mack IV of Fort Myers and Mario Diaz-Balart of Miami, are loyal to their Republican Party and President Bush. They stand behind him on national security, taxation and other bedrock official business. Almost all the time.

A review of their votes over the past year-plus shows they broke with the party line up to 20 percent of the time. Most notably, for Mack that meant voting "no" on renewal of the Patriot Act.

While Mack and Diaz-Balart and their aides can say they are their own men and feel free to vote their consciences — and we have to agree with them — the rest of the story is that they wield the power to be that way. They are from staunchly Republican districts, and they are popular. They have a sense they will be re-elected.

Of course, this luxury of security for lawmakers can cut both ways. Too often we have seen powerful lawmakers become insulated from their constituents and work for themselves. Not so for Mack and Diaz-Balart. We trust that both public servants are able to step back and survey their own experiences and compare them with others who do not act as responsibly, and choose their future path accordingly.