In Backing Murtha, Pelosi Draws Fire Her Ethics Vow Is Questioned

Washington Post ^ | Tuesday, November 14, 2006; A01 | By Jonathan Weisman

[.cnI redruM]

House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi's endorsement of Rep. John P. Murtha's bid for House majority leader set off a furor yesterday on Capitol Hill, with critics charging that she is undercutting her pledge to clean up corruption by backing a veteran lawmaker who they say has repeatedly skirted ethical boundaries.

Pelosi (D-Calif.) directly intervened in the heated contest between Murtha (D-Pa.) and House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) on Sunday by circulating a letter to Democratic lawmakers. The letter voiced her support for Murtha and put her prestige on the line in a closely fought leadership battle. Some Democratic lawmakers and watchdog groups say they are baffled that Pelosi would go out of her way to back Murtha's candidacy after pledging to make the new 110th Congress the most ethical and corruption-free in history.

Murtha, a longtime senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, has battled accusations over the years that he has traded federal spending for campaign contributions, that he has abused his post as ranking party member on the Appropriations defense subcommittee, and that he has stood in the way of ethics investigations. Those charges come on top of Murtha's involvement 26 years ago in the FBI's Abscam bribery sting.

[.cnI redruM]

Most brazen Congress in history, maybe.

[FlyVet]

And since he's already proved he can be provoked by a reporter, I expect them to try to trigger an on-camera meltdown or two, which will be replayed night after night for as long as necessary. Hillary!'s true nastiness will be hidden from the public, even if they have to show her lips moving while explaining to us all what she's saying. The public will never hear that grating "your ex-wife" voice raised in anger.

[edpc]

Those on the Right should push the ethics issues, since the Dems brought it up. However, I am lost on the 150 grand/Hamas comment. Explain.

[.cnI redruM]

Alcie Hastings took an $150K bribe to lower some scumbag's sentence while he was a Federal Judge. He now is about to lead the House Intelligence Committee. I figure the various enemies of the US around the world will be mailing in the envelopes of cash, in hopes of stealing every key piece of data that Hastings lays his eyes on.

[RedRover]

Big bump.

[W04Man]

Bump!

http://DogMurtha.com

[edpc]

Right. I didn't see the figure included with the story, so it didn't click right away. I gotcha.

[upchuck]

Pelosi: corrupt (Criminal Aliens working in her vineyard)

Murtha: corrupt (ABSCAM, his brother, etc.)

Caspar Milquetoast McConnell and Fool Lott over in the Senate.

We're off to a great start, eh?

Those of us trapped in 56K dialup HELL say Thank You! for linking to the printer friendly version of the article.

[oust the louse]

Did she (Pelosi) appoint Hastings to anything yet?....

[Obadiah]

"We just have to be dominated by high standards and clear vision and we ought to have a good time doing it."

-Bill Clinton
January 20, 1993

[RedRover]

Googling around, I saw that the Pinko/Commie Nation is covering this story. Even Leftwing nuts are conceding that Murtha is bent: Pelosi Backs Murtha for No. 2: Iraq over Ethics?

Also, I dredged up an old Newsbusters piece that explains why Murtha wasn't considered leadership material until now: Media's Love Affair with Murtha Ignores His Pork-Filled Past / Newsbusters / Nov. 05

[outofstyle]

"Did she (Pelosi) appoint Hastings to anything yet?...."

She has promised him the job of House Intel Chair in payback for his support (in the Congressional Black Caucus) for her speakership.

[Sooth2222]

The voters have spoken. The Republicans aren't corrupt enough for them. That's why they elected the Democrats.

[.cnI redruM]

Having a culture of corruption isn't good enough. The voters wanna' roll up in that crib and hit some of that themselves.

[RedRover]

There's a thread with this great quote from Mullah Conyers: Conyers said Hastings 'unfit to serve'

[gov_bean_ counter]

Pelosi apparently sold what was left of her soul to the Democrat Black Caucus, hence the promise of Intel to Hastings. (Personally, I thought her soul was already in Lucifer's lockbox somewhere in Hell.)

[FixitGuy]

Not the politicians fault. The snakes told us they were snakes.

The pubbies who voted Democrat to "send a message" need their collective asses kicked!

[.cnI redruM]

And His Holy Self-Righteousness Conyers was actually right for a change. He didn't even need to consult Mother Sheehan for that piece of sagacity. I'll bet there are drug corners in the bad side of Arlington that turn more than $150K on any pleasant weekend night.

[YdontUleaveLibs]

This is so surreal I can't stand it. Pelosi says before the elections she is going to clean house. Now, even before she is officially in charge she has already backed ABSCAM Murtha. I say we give her wide berth and some extra thick rope and get out of the way.

[Just A Nobody]

Good find on that Newsbusters piece Red. Too bad we didn't see it before last Tuesday.

Then again, it wouldn't have made a dimes worth of difference. Everything we did discover about the scumbag went unnoticed. I by no means think that was an oversight.

Appears as though the ENEMEDIA Party used the same floor plan many of the republicans wanted to use:
Get/keep the party in power and sort out the rinos/criminals later.