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Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Gobble, Gobble

The Moose muses that the President is not the only one trying to get a turkey off the hook today.

As the President generously pardons the national turkey, the House Republicans are attempting to protect their Bug Man from the long arm of the law. Today, the lower chamber elephants are expected to change their rules to allow members indicted by state grand juries to remain in leadership posts. And this is the party of law and order?

This rule change is being done to make certain that the Chief Exterminator Tom DeLay is not removed as Majority Leader if a Texas jury indicts him since it has already thrown the book at three of his political cronies for allegedly laundering campaign contributions. And this is the party of morality opposed to relativism?

The great irony of this rule change is that it was put in place by the Republicans to punish old Rostenkowski back in the early nineties. As the Washington Post reports today,

House Republicans adopted the indictment rule in 1993, when they were trying to end four decades of Democratic control of the House, in part by highlighting Democrats' ethical lapses. They said at the time that they held themselves to higher standards than prominent Democrats such as then-Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski (Ill.), who eventually pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to prison.

And this is the party of ethical reform?

While the Moose is usually opposed to the politics of personal destruction, he will make an exception for DeLay. He is the poster boy for all that is wrong with our politics - note the impeachment of Clinton that was driven by the Bug Man, DeLay's K Street Project that seeks to purge the lobbying community of Democrats and the Exterminator's support for the toxic mix of money and politics.

The Moose suggests that the donkey initiate the Independence Ave. Project to move the Concierge of K Street out of leadership. After all, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Back in the late 80's Newt and the boys began their ascension to power by toppling a Texan in the House Leadership - Jim Wright. Let's Wright that wrong by moving the bug man back to Sugarland to remove all pests.

One more thing, Mooseketeers - today the Senate Indian Affairs Committee resumes their hearings on the Indian gambling scandal that involves two additional DeLay cronies. Cheer up, disconsolate donkey's -

"Laissez le bon temps roule"
-- Posted at 8:42 AM | Link to this post | Email this post