Rule change to protect DeLay approved
If they make this rules change, Republicans will confirm yet again that they simply do not care if their leaders are ethical. If Republicans believe that an indicted member should be allowed to hold a top leadership position in the House of Representatives, their arrogance is astonishing.
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Of course, Tom DeLay has not yet been indicted, but I am willing to buy the “astonishing arrogance” part of Pelosi’s remarks. If a Democrat had engaged in the same sort of egregious ethical lapses that has characterized Tom DeLay’s tenure in Congress, Republicans would be lost in paroxysms of righteous indignation. They would be looking (and not without some justification) for blood. However, Republicans get a free pass, regardless of their particular ethical, moral, or even legal faux pas. Feel free to fly past “GO”, be sure to collect your $200, and forget about that whol “jail” thing. We’ve got you covered.
Now House Republicans have even changed the rules, expressly to protect the above-mentioned and ethically-challenged DeLay. Given that DeLay has always viewed himself as being above the rules, I’m not certain why they even had to bother making this change…unless they WANTED to look like a collection of hypocritical, ethically-challenged partisan hacks. Mission accomplished, y’all….
WASHINGTON — House Republicans approved a party rules change today that could allow Majority leader Tom DeLay to retain his leadership post if he is indicted by a Texas grand jury on state political corruption charges.
By a voice vote, and with a handful of lawmakers voicing opposition, the House Republican Conference decided that a party committee of several dozen members would review any felony indictment of a party leader and recommend at that time whether the leader should step aside.
The current party rule in this area requires House Republican leaders and the heads of the various committees to relinquish their positions if indicted for a crime that could bring a prison term of at least two years. It makes no distinction between a federal and state indictment. Three of DeLay’s political associates already have been indicted by that Texas grand jury.
Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-Texas, said that under the change embraced today, the House Republican Steering Committee would have 30 legislative days to review a felony indictment and recommend to all House Republicans whether a lawmaker who is charged could remain as a committee chairman or leader.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with the concept of “innocent until proven guilty”. We all should know by now, however, that political reality operates on a different plane. Perception IS reality. An indictment may not be a conviction in the real world, but in politics it’s the moral equivalent of tap-dancing through a minefield with the sword of Damocles dangling directly above your neck.
We should be able to hold our politicians to a higher standard. We did, after all, elect them to represent us. If a politician cannot avoid at least the appearance of ethical lapses, they should be held accountable. Unless, of course, you’re a Republican, in which case, you can be caught in flagrante delicto with an underaged intern and still skate by.
Enjoy the silence, American. You elected these moral midgets. We deserve better, but the majority of you apparently couldn’t recognize that. Bon Appetit….
