It is notable that a former auditor is running for office, particularly at yet another period of questionable ethics in US government. A brief review of Claire McCaskill’s background brings up some impressive accomplishments:

In March 2000, State Auditor McCaskill conducted an audit of the Division of Aging which found more than a thousand employees caring for Missouri nursing home residents who were forbidden to work with children and the mentally handicapped. State lawmakers passed legislation prohibiting the dangerous double standard, and McCaskill was called to testify on her audit’s findings before the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging.

In addition, McCaskill authorized audits of domestic violence shelters and the state’s child abuse hotline. The domestic violence report cited more than 5,000 victims turned away from shelters throughout Missouri even though more than a million dollars was available to help. Conversely, the child abuse audit found it sometimes difficult for the state to remove children from dangerous settings and financial support lacking.

McCaskill was the first Auditor to aggressively enforce provisions of the Hancock Amendment that afford protection to Missourians from being overcharged on their property taxes. After taking office she came down hard on local governments that set tax rates above legal limits, a practice many had engaged in for more than a decade. Her efforts helped convince lawmakers to allow the state to take legal action on behalf of taxpayers.

And that’s just within a few years. Apparently she also established a special Domestic Violence Unit to combat domestic violence and child abuse, and the violent crime rate in the city dropped 45% under her watch. This is the kind of candidate that a security professional can endorse! She clearly has a very strong and honorable record of doing good policy work. Any skeletons in the closet? We may never know, but for now she seem like just the right kind of candidate to bring fresh change away from the Rove and Abramoff gang currently in office.