by Mona Charen

About the author: Mona Charen is a conservative syndicated columnist whose articles appear in many national newspapers and magazines.

Iam no admirer of cigarette companies. They produce a product that is poisonous, and they peddle it in such a way as to make it glamorous. For years, they cheerfully accepted government subsidies. They are neither exemplary businessmen nor good capitalists.

A Farce

Still, the spectacle of histrionic Democratic congressmen haranguing the executives of the seven largest cigarette companies during 1994’s hearings before the House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment was a farce.

Reps. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and John Bryant (D- Texas), among others, taunted, interrupted and derided the tobacco makers, asking repeatedly whether cigarettes cause cancer, emphysema and heart disease. The executives...