The double-edged sword of ethics: In going after DeLay, democrats expose themselves to ethics charges.

We all know the democrats would eat their own young to get DeLay, who bears most of the credit for ripping 7 or so House seats away from the d's in their little soap opera AKA Texas redistricting.

Following their success in emasculating Speaker Newt, the d's have used many of the same bogus, nonsensical tactics to go after DeLay. Character assassination, whisper campaigns... allegations (but no CHARGES or INDICTMENTS, you understand) are the order of the day, as they set about to engage in pay back.

The problem here is that the main route the democrats have chosen to follow this time... the ethics route... appears to be ready to blow up in their collective face.

Initially, democrats salivated at the allegation that DeLay accepted travel from a lobbyist. That may or may not be true... and, if it is true and it is a violation, then DeLay should suffer the consequences for that, whatever those may be.

But now, the spit's starting to dry up.

As it turns out, several DEMOCRATS have done PRECISELY THE SAME THING DEMOCRATS ARE ALLEGING AGAINST DELAY. (Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA6) and Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC6) immediately come to mind.

Do the democrats REALLY want to go there? How many of their own are they willing to turn into road kill in the process?

Tip o' da hat to Captain's Quarters

May 03, 2005
House Ethics Violations: Not Just For GOP Any More

The attempt to ensnare House Majority Whip Tom DeLay in ethics violations may be backfiring on House Democrats, whose own ethical closets have a skeleton or two making an appearance. Two Democratic Congressmen have accepted travel money from the same lobbyist that involved one of DeLay's aides, and now Democratic outrage has given way to a series of rationalizations:

At least two aides to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and two Democratic congressmen received travel expenses initially paid by lobbyist Jack Abramoff on his credit card or by his firm, internal records of the lobbying firm show.

Longtime House ethics rules that applied to the 1996 and 1997 trips to the Northern Mariana Islands have strictly prohibited lawmakers and their staffs from accepting any congressional trips from lobbyists or their firms.

DeLay's office and one of the lawmakers, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., said they had no knowledge that Abramoff or his firm paid the expenses. The office of Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., did not return several calls seeking comment.

Abramoff, whose lobbying is under criminal investigation, pressed his clients, the Northern Marianas government, to reimburse him for the travel because of concerns the payments might draw scrutiny from the House committee that investigates lawmakers' conduct, the documents obtained by The Associated Press show.

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