LaHood Falsely Claims Hastert’s ‘Strong Leadership’ Was Responsible For DeLay’s Resignation
In the latest false defense of Speaker Hastert, Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL) said today on CBS’s Face the Nation that Hastert showed “strong leadership” in dealing with the Tom DeLay scandal. LaHood falsely claimed, “When Tom [DeLay] was having ethical problems, the speaker wen to him and asked him to leave.”….In reality, Hastert repeatedly defended DeLay’s ethical misconduct and attempted to shield him from any responsibility. Hastert replaced the Republican Chairman of the House ethics committee, Rep. Joel Hefley (R-CO), after the committee admonished DeLay.
In course of doing my job, people lie to me…a lot. It’s an occupational hazard, and one that I’ve become inured to. I like to joke that I don’t really mind being lied to, as long as the person doing the lying are intelligent and creative about their prevaricating. What really pisses me off is when people are too stupid to think through what they’re doing, or they figure that I’m too stupid to figure out that they’re lying. Lie if you must; just don’t insult my intelligence. Ray LaHood clearly hasn’t learned this lesson.
In the continuing attempts by Congressional Republicans to rehabilitate Speaker Dennis Hastert, the lies and propaganda are just becoming increasingly stupid and sloppy. It’s almost as if they figure that there aren’t journalists and bloggers out there capable of doing even a minimal amount of fact-checking. Not only did Hastert NOT ask DeLay to leave, he enabled his continued presence by replacing Hefley and then forcing through a rule change which would have exempted DeLay from the House rule requiring a member to step down from a leadership position if he were to be indicted.
In their arrogance, Republicans really seem to think that no one will call them on their duplicity and dishonesty. It’s as if they simply cannot imagine that anyone would think to check their “facts”. Ray LaHood is a liar and a cheat, and his propaganizing only serves to point out that Republicans will stoop to anything, no matter how underhanded or dishonest, if it keeps them in power. In the final analysis, power is really the only thing Republicans understand or care about. How sad.
STILL GLAD YOU VOTED REPUBLICAN?
