EDITORIAL: It takes one to know one--Ethically challenged lawmakers protect their own

The Washington Times ^ | October 11, 2009 | Editorial

[jazusamo]

If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's pledge to "drain the [congressional] swamp" of corruption actually had teeth, she'd have to boot more than just embattled Ways and Means Chairman Charles B. Rangel.

That's the unintended message California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters delivered last week as she defended Mr. Rangel's failure to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in income and assets. Mrs. Waters has to defend such collegial corruption because if Mr. Rangel loses his lofty perch, the congresswoman won't be far behind.

"I want to tell you, there are many members who, if you go back over all of their records, over all of the years, you're going to find that there were disclosures that were not made," Mrs. Waters told MSNBC. The "we all do it defense" isn't sufficient for one of the nation's chief tax writers.

When Mrs. Waters invokes the "we all do it" defense, she really means: I do it. She has been named one of the most corrupt members of Congress by the liberal-minded ethics group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and faces her own ethics investigation.

While the panel has not disclosed details of the probe, Mrs. Waters came under scrutiny most recently for working to secure a December 2008 federal bailout for Massachusetts-based OneUnited Bank. Her husband served on the company's board until early last year and owned stock worth at least $250,000.

[jazusamo]

Maxine Waters has assumed the position of the most mentally challenged and corrupt Congresswoman of the House since the departure of Cynthia McKenney.

[jazusamo]

Please bump the Freepathon and donate if you haven’t done so!

[hometoroost]

She and Cynthia could be 1 and 2 all-time in those areas.

[Beowulf9]

Give me a break. Pelosi living in San Francisco and yelling about corruption is like the Devil complaining about false religion.

[Achilles Heel]

Beating out Babs Boxer too.

[jazusamo]

Exactly! :-)

[Ronin]

Every day Mrs. Pelosi denies this fact, her credibility and the reputation of congressional Democrats crumbles further.

Can't lose what you never had. Nobody -- especially other dems -- expects a dem to have any ethics in the first place because their whole political philosophy is based on "I want it! Gimee now!!!".