The Moose observes that Tom DeLay has sunk to depths that no other sleaze has ever dared to go.
In order to preserve his political viability, the House Majority Leader is attempting to link his ethically-challenged reputation to the moral cause of saving Terri Schiavo. The New York Times reported on what DeLay told a conservative gathering in Washington,
"On Friday, as the leaders of both chambers scrambled to try to stop the removal of Ms. Schiavo's feeding tube, Mr. DeLay, a Texas Republican, turned his attention to social conservatives gathered at a Washington hotel and described what he viewed as the intertwined struggle to save Ms. Schiavo, expand the conservative movement and defend himself against accusations of ethical lapses.
"One thing that God has brought to us is Terri Schiavo, to help elevate the visibility of what is going on in America," Mr. DeLay told a conference organized by the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group. A recording of the event was provided by the advocacy organization Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
"This is exactly the issue that is going on in America, of attacks against the conservative movement, against me and against many others," Mr. DeLay said.
"Mr. DeLay complained that "the other side" had figured out how "to defeat the conservative movement," by waging personal attacks, linking with liberal organizations and persuading the national news media to report the story. He charged that "the whole syndicate" was "a huge nationwide concerted effort to destroy everything we believe in."
One can only marvel at this extraordinary demagoguery! Tom DeLay is now attempting to save himself by associating his fate with this woman's tragedy as he languishes in a persistent unethical state.
But it is not just a vast left wing conspiracy that is expressing its disgust with the ethically toxic environment that has been created by the DeLayicans. David Brooks has written a tremendously intellectually honest column today about the Abramoff/Scanlon/DeLay/Reed Indian gaming scandal and its corrupting influence on conservatism. Brooks writes,
"As time went by, the spectacular devolution of morals accelerated. Many of the young innovators were behaving like people who, having read Barry Goldwater's "Conscience of a Conservative," embraced the conservative part while discarding the conscience part.
"Abramoff's and Scanlon's Indian-gaming scandal will go down as the movement's crowning achievement, more shameless than anything the others would do, but still the culmination of the trends building since 1995. It perfectly embodied their creed and philosophy: "I'd love us to get our mitts on that moolah!!" as Abramoff wrote to Reed.
"They made at least $66 million.
"This is a major accomplishment. And remember: Abramoff didn't do it on his own. It took a village. The sleazo-cons thought they could take over K Street to advance their agenda. As it transpired, K Street took over them."
One wonders when religiously motivated social conservatives will question their relationship with a crew that is wallowing in the wages of sin. Morality is not limited to the end and the beginning of life. There is a wide period in between when the living and sentient are confronted with such ethical concerns such as the corruption of our public officials and the quality of health care for the disadvantaged. The religious right is usually silent on these moral questions or they are aiding and abetting politicians who walk the unrighteous path.
If a concern for the "culture of life" is what is motivating these paragons of morality where is their concern about the easy availability of the tools of death that yesterday killed teen age High School students in Minnesota? Is the National Rifle Association also a faith-based organization?
Culture of life, indeed. -- | 
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