WaxWorks
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Tuesday, November 16, 2004
What's Good for the Goose... Oh, Never Mind.
Power changes everything:
House Republicans in 1993 -- trying to underscore the ethics problems of Dan
Rostenkowski (D-Ill.), then-chairman of the Ways and Means Committee -- adopted
the rule that requires a party leader to surrender his or her post if indicted
by any grand jury, federal or state.
But that was then and this is now, with Republicans in power in the House, thanks to their crooked powerbroker Tom DeLay. And with DeLay about get indicted on state charges in Texas, the Republicans are indebted enough to him to change their rules:
House Republicans were contemplating changing their rules in order to allow
members indicted by state prosecutors to remain in a leadership post, a move
designed to benefit Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) in case he is charged by
a Texas grand jury that has indicted three of his political associates, GOP
leaders said today.
The rules change, which some leaders said is likely to be adopted
Wednesday, comes as House Republicans return to Washington indebted to DeLay for the enhanced majority they won in this month's elections. DeLay led an
aggressive redistricting effort in Texas last year that resulted in five
Democratic House members retiring or losing reelection. It also triggered the
grand jury inquiry into fundraising efforts related to the state legislature's
redistricting actions.
The Republicans in the House, after years of complaining about the unfair treatment they claim Democrats gave them when Republicans were the minority party, have taken their power grab to new levels. Keeping the prescription drug benefit vote open for SEVERAL HOURS so DeLay could bribe members into voting for the bill is the biggest example of this type of craven action. DeLay is an extremely effective and ruthless leader for the Republicans; he's also uncompromisingly ethically-challenged, as the House Ethics Committee itself has made clear in its repeated admonishments of him this year. If Republicans cared at all about integrity, instead of power, they would boot DeLay now. But we all know how this is going to come out...
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