Hear hear!

My mind is at rest from the perturbances that had been buffeting it so! It is in the wonderful tradition of Rostenkowski to which our Dear Boss has receded. I cannot endeavour to think of a Man more suited or appropriate for appropriating than Good Old Tweed. For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow! Huzzah!

DeLay, R-Texas, also claimed a seat on the subcommittee overseeing the Justice Department, which is currently investigating an influence-peddling scandal involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his dealings with lawmakers.

I eagerly await news that DeLay has been appointed his own Special Prosecutor.

Wait, does this mean our only alternatives are patrician, old-money robber barons?

Um, that’s the House Appropriations Committee …

I think my favorite part of that article was this:

DeLay was able to rejoin the powerful Appropriations panel — he was a member until becoming majority leader in 2003 — because of a vacancy created after the resignation of Randy “Duke” Cunningham, R-Calif. Cunningham pleaded guilty in November to charges relating to accepting $2.4 million in bribes for government business and other favors.

So the GOP, having lost one corrupt member of the committee to the forces of, uh, being guilty of multiple felonies… promptly replaces him with a new (allegedly) corrupt member who is under investigation for multiple felonies.

It is nice to see that our nation’s irony supploy is strong and secure.

Uh, that’s “supply,” unless I’ve suddenly become Irish.

Shades o’ Tower Commission…

Dan, don’t you believe that corruption crosses party lines? Isn’t it inherent in the nature of the political beast? Isn’t it human nature, and not party affiliation, per se, that leads individuals to make indefensible moral compromises? Politics breed corruption, period. For a period of time, it may rear it’s ugly head on one side of the political fence or the other, but, in my opinion, ultimately, it has more to do with this potentially lethal equation: human nature + power.

“…ultimately, it has more to do with this potentially lethal equation: human nature + power.

Neo’s right, but can anyone find the single word in that phrase that prohibits Dems from being corrupt?

How ’bout now?

…ultimately, it has more to do with this potentially lethal equation: human nature + *power*.

No power, no corruption. That’s a legal defense, isn’t it?

Bruce-clone, what in my post says anything about the Democrats being cleaner or shinier than the Republicans? Here’s a hint: nothing. But the fact is, this particular situation is a Republican problem, and I found it amusing that DeLay is replacing Duke Cunningham on the Appropriations Committee.

In any event, as we all should have learned by first grade, “Everybody else does it too” does not actually justify bad behavior.

“In any event, as we should have learned by first grade.”

Feeling a little condescending today, Dan?
Otherwise, your point is well-taken Dan, all I’m saying is that we all (myself included) tend to be quick to notice corruption in a party that we are not affiliated with, and not so quick to notice that the corruption is almost always nearly equally distributed across party lines. I guess I was pointing out the obvious, but sometimes the obvious needs to be stated as a reminder for us all to strive to become increasingly objective in our observations. BTW, did you happen to catch the Grammy awards last night?

If it’s “equally distributed along party lines” right now, the dems must be really busy with a lot of shit that I’m hearing nothing about.

I think you nailed it on the head, Timmah420. There are secrets we may not hear about for several months or years, some we will never hear about.

Yes, I feel sure those secrets are buried in the desert somewhere. Or perhaps they were moved to Syria just before we started looking for them.

I must admit, Bob, that’s a pretty witty comeback 🙂

Um, Brucie, the types of corruption we’re talking about here hinge upon holding the levers of power. In other words, unless you’re making some daffy claim about Dems holding a majority in any branch of the Federal government, they simply can’t do these sorts of things… at the moment. That is not to say they wouldn’t or couldn’t if their electoral fortunes changed. But, to claim that at this moment they can engage in this sort of graft is ridiculous. You aren’t making a serious argument. You’re wasting our time. As usual.

Nice try, Markie Mark. But though dems may not presently be at the helm, they do, in fact, hold levers of power. Senators, both Democrat and Republican, vote on such things as bills and who will sit on the supreme court. Their votes are their power levers.