Friday, April 15, 2005

Noose tightening on DeLay

Ten former Republican congressman have issued an open letter condemning changes in House ethics rules that House Republicans pushed through to protect Tom DeLay.

If you haven't been following this subplot in the DeLay story, the rules change were straightfowardly partisan in scope and intent: it used to be that if either party wanted to start an ethical investigation, an investigation would automatically be started. The change the DeLayites pushed through dictates that both parties must agree to start an invetigation--essentially giving either party a veto over any ethical investigations.

Such rules changes are of course perfectly consistent with the perspective vaunted by the current Republican leadership that any investigation into their ethics is wholly and exclusively a partisan smear. It's also the logical conclusion of effacing any distinction between policy and politics.

Can anyone recall Lord Acton said about power?

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