This is a wee problem and should be decided by Scottish law, laddie....ask arlen McSpector
Posted on 03/15/2005 8:03:34 AM PST by Arrowhead1952
EDITORIAL BOARD
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
The steady stream of ethical charges flowing around U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay for more than a year are now threatening to inundate him.
DeLay has been admonished three times in the past 12 months by the House Ethics Committee. He is central to a Travis County grand jury investigation of possible campaign law violations and faces new questions about his travel and lobby connections.
Concerns arose last week about a trip DeLay, and others, accepted from the Korea-U.S. Exchange Council. The council is a registered foreign agent, which would make the trip illegal under House rules.
The powerful Republican from Sugar Land has not taken all this criticism calmly. Under his leadership, the GOP recently changed the makeup of the Ethics Committee, canning the former chairman and adding to the panel DeLay's friend, U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, a Republican from San Antonio whose district includes parts of Austin.
GOP leaders also pushed through rules changes that would protect DeLay's position if he is indicted; allow easier dismissal of an ethics complaint; and allow one attorney to represent multiple clients accused of ethics violations. Most of this was done in secret, and House Democrats finally revolted.
To protest the rules changes, Democrats prevented the Ethics Committee from organizing last week. Because the 10-member panel is evenly divided by party, it couldn't produce a majority vote to adopt the new rules. Without rules, the House now has no mechanism to investigate or punish members.
The House is, as The Washington Post editorialized, "an ethics-free zone." Democrats insist that they will keep the pressure on until the Republicans undo the rules changes adopted to cover DeLay.
How long the GOP will put up with DeLay's power plays and ethical lapses is a matter for speculation. But some Republicans already are acknowledging that DeLay's position is weakening.
One Republican consultant quoted recently resorted to a remarkable bit of verbal gymnastics to describe DeLay's position. "The situation is negatively fluid right now for the guy," he said.
DeLay brought this on himself. His scorched-earth partisanship, coziness with lobbyists and flippant attitude toward House ethics rules made him a vulnerable target.
Republicans would be wise to get themselves another majority leader before more damage is done.
Sickening. If Earle ever disappeared, would anyone care?
On second thoughts, I cannot remember the UnAmerican Statesman ever writing a similar piece about Slick Willie, i.e. How long the Democrats (GOP) will put up with Clinton's (DeLay's) power plays and ethical lapses is a matter for speculation.
Delay ain't going nowhere.
This is a wee problem and should be decided by Scottish law, laddie....ask arlen McSpector
Exactly. The more the media screams about Delay the less effective you know the Dimwits have been in making a case against Delay.
"I cannot remember the UnAmerican Statesman ever writing a similar piece about Slick Willie"
EXACTLY what I was thinking! The dem-lib-socialists are always blaming Republicans for what they, themselves are guilty of! SHEESH! The Hypocrite Party in full attack mode!
Austin Pravda barf ping
Right. The GOP has never recieved any good or honest advice from liberals.
Just a simple question. If the Democrats had tried to change the ethics rules like the Republicans did, would we be screaming from the top of our lungs about how corrupt the Demo's are?
I love Delay, but I also think that if a Democrat had done some of the things that Delay has done, not that they were illegal, but the appearance is not very good. Him taking that trip and then saying he did not know who paid for it is not really believable coming from either party.
I am putting my flamesuit on....
I just want us to be consistent in our criticisms whether they be R. or D.
So once again, if a Democrat had behaved in the same manner as Delay, would we criticize him?
Him taking that trip and then saying he did not know who paid for it is not really believable coming from either party.
See this article. DeLay Tactics
Here is an excerpt.
However, buried in the 20th paragraph of last Thursday's Post reporting was acknowledgement that a Nancy Pelosi staffer had taken a comparable trip with KORUSEC in 2003.
Any questions???
"GOP shouldn't delay in replacing DeLay..."
yeah right, we will do it at the same speed of light as the demoncRATS replaced the great fornicator, AKA BJ Clinton.
So, is that our defense "that they all do it"? I hope not because Republicans are supposed to be better than Democrats. I am NOT sticking up for Pelosi in anyway, I just don't want people to have blinders on because Delay is one of us. Anything or anyone that would hamper the Republican Party or bring the appearance of being unethical must go, (not saying Delay is, just making a point). Party before person.
If the RATs would do that, they wouldn't have anyone to run for any elected office. Speak of unethical, the Travis county DA is a prime example of that. He is so sorry, but chances of getting him replaced are slim to none. There are too many liberal hippies living here.
What a bunch of biased weasels!
No, I didn't buy one. ...haven't in years.
You are correct. Also, I hope to hear more from people who actually live in his district or near it and know more about what is going on. They can usually tell you more than the MSM.
So, thanks for your insight.
This whole deal is an organized smear campaign by the Dem's and liberal elements in the media who are trying to soften DeLay up so can try to run a RINO against him in the next primary or hurt him so bad a "moderate Dem" (does such a thing exist), might have a chance against him.
What about Pelosi's fundraisers, Hillary's fund raisers, and the bunch of Dem Legislators that ran away from Texas to try to keep the state from fairly redistricting.
The whole bunch are liars and deceivers and Conservatives need to get totally behind DeLay in support.
Thanks for the advice ratmedia, now go protest something, or hug a tree or blame Republicans for something.
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