The Democrats ran on the issue of cleaning up Congress after the dirty and crooked Republicans trashed it, not to mention letting Mark Foley run his own private little boys harem. But darn, it seems they just aren't any better after all.

First indictment of a Democrat Congressman comes down. Cold Cash Jeffers gets nailed.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8PI56L00&show_article=1

This is the party that was not only going to clean up all the dishonesty, but was going to put an end to earmarks. Of course, that turned out to be a bunch of bull to feed the Kool-Aid crowd also. There have been more earmarks from the Democrats this year than any time in history.

What a bunch of bullshit you libs fall for.

Sometimes it is desireable to fall for the bullshit rather than have the Bull schtick it up your Who-Hah!

In any large group, there are going to be a few crooks, when each party is in charge, its crooks get more publicity, but the number of crooks in each party is about the same.

I'm just trying to figure out what took so long. 90K+ in a freezer and there was actually doubt? Plus, didn't Pelosi want to bring him on board on some ethics panel or something? And this was AFTER a little of the story already broke?

See now, I don't mean for this to be any slight on Republicans - but - frankly, I care a LOT less when they pull this shit as when Democrats do. So when it started to smell rotten for Jefferson, I hoped against hope that he would come clean. But no. He has to pretend that he has an explanation for it all and meanwhile, he makes me, personally, look bad for even TRYING to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Fuckin' idiots.

Because Jerrerson appealed the use of evidence seized from his office, that had to make it through the courts first.

The dems still have a federal judge that was impeached and removed from office, serving in congress.

"Almost two years ago, in August 2005, investigators raided Jefferson's home..."

Almost two years ago, Deane. This corruption happened long before the Dems stepped up to power. I know of no single Dem defending this guy - they completely condemn his actions.

The fact that the indictment is moving forward seems like proof that dishonesty is being dealt with, rather than tolerated and promoted as often happened when the Republicans were in power. (DeLay continues to deny the charges brought against him, and many of his cronies continue to support him)

There are shady and corrupt Dems just like there are hard-working, honest and honorable Republicans in Congress. The test will be how each party will tolerate unacceptable and illegal behavior.

I guess you just take your "victories" where you can.

Kind of sad really.

>>>"I know of no single Dem defending this guy - they completely condemn his actions."

Yup, that's why Nancy Polosi appointed him to the Homeland Security Committee.

A HA! That was it - I know I could have found it myself - but asandwichtastesbetterwhensoneoneeslesmakesit.com ( Yes, I registered that one too. I'm a crazy person ).

Homeland Security. Man. Good pick! Let's get a guy in there that has a penchant to accept bribes. What could possibly happen?

Thank GOD he got caught. Seriously. ( It would be particularly poetic if The Homeland Security Department had anything to do with him getting busted ).

As this thread moves along, there will be attempt after attempt to convince everyone that you can actually pick up a turd by the clean end.

Just think. Pelosi's first pick to chair the intelligence committe wa rep Hastings, a judge that had been impeached, convicted and removed from office.

Washington Post: Pelosi May Give Jefferson a Lesser Committee Assignment
Tuesday, December 12, 2006; Page A06

House Democratic leaders, who have vowed to run a more ethical Congress, are struggling with how to respond to the reelection of Rep. William J. Jefferson, the Louisiana Democrat whose Washington home freezer once held $90,000 in alleged bribe money.

Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), poised to be the next speaker, stripped Jefferson of his seat on the influential Ways and Means Committee in June and has hinted that she may place him on no committee when the 110th Congress convenes next month. But a source close to Pelosi said yesterday that she is more likely to place him on a lower-profile committee and hope the controversy dies down.

...

Jefferson, 59, surprised many in Washington on Saturday by comfortably winning a ninth term from his New Orleans-based district. He repeatedly notes that he has not been indicted, and he won endorsements from high-level politicians such as New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin.

...

The source familiar with Pelosi's thinking said that the incoming speaker wants to distance herself and her caucus from Jefferson and legal problems but that she thinks she cannot ignore that voters returned him to office when details of the investigation were well known.

<end>

Listen, this guy is a turd, but it's kind of pathetic how you fixate on these non-issues and trumpet them as proof of Democratic malfeasance.

His own constituents reelected him; if it were a Republican in the same situation and Pelosi were to strip him of any power, you would accuse her of overriding the will of the people. If you say Pelosi should have granted him no committee assignments, then you are saying that she should have the right to override the will of his constituents.

He was *demoted* in his committee assignments, not rewarded with anything. Assuming that she had to give him some committee assignments until an indictment came down, which ones should she have given him? Reps usually get four. Let's see your list.

He *is* indicted - finally, so now they have the political ammunition to expel him from Congress. If they do not do this soon, then you have solid grounds for questioning the Dems claims about keeping Congress clean. Don't continue to be so naive as to think that these kind of things don't need to go through a legal and political process.

You cant expell him, unless he is convicted.

Incorrect. They could have expelled Jefferson the day that they found the money in his freezer. But they needed to be on stronger political footing in order to justify their actions to his constituents. Indictment provides that footing.

The Bob Packwood story provides an example.

Wikipedia:"With pressure mounting against him, Packwood finally announced his resignation from the Senate on September 7, 1995, after the Senate Ethics Committee unanimously recommended that he be expelled from the Senate for ethical misconduct."

This happened without any convictions of sexual misconduct, or any other conviction. Expulsion is a political action and does not require a criminal conviction.

So, which end of the turd would that be?

The less ignorant end.

I forget.

Is that the blunt end, or tapered?

It's the end opposite the one with Deane's noseprints.

Crap! That one's going to be really hard to top!

(Pulling up a stool to sit on while watching the show)

Mrs. Merkin

Way to squeeze off a couple of good ones!

Merkin! Thanks for dropping in!

Ok, out with the turdisms!

Can't polish a turd.

A turd is still a turd.

Fools try to pick up the turd by the clean end.

If you have one turd, then another turd, you have number two!

Life is like turd stacking. No matter how hard you try, it's messy.

etc...

Nice to see you back Mrs. M!

I was going to appologise for my part in bringing down the level of discourse in this thread.

But it occurrs to me that it started out in the crapper to begin with.

I thought it was:

"You have a turd and add a turd.
You're two turds of the way there"

Sorry, I was just being feces-tious.

Can we clean house and start over?

Way to squeeze them out people!

Well, it was Deane who gave us an enema.

OK, I'm back. Things were "touching cloth" there for a minute, but now I'm flushed with excretement itement to see what will be swirling around here next!

One of my kooky co-workers always wore this pin:

My Boss is #1
And He Treats Me like #2

Indeed. We are all just floaters in the toilet of life.

Some believe the big flush is coming any minute now.

Call me radical, but I'm going down counter-clockwise, Northern Hemisphere be damned.

You guys are so CORN-y.

I just threw up a little in my mouth.

Hey! Corn-y is better than Crayon-y or Play-doh-y.

(Am I right, parents?)

No.

Larry Flynt is about to sort out the boogers with his 1 million dollar offer for photos of people in high places doing low down naughty things. Should be interesting.

You know why a turd is tapered on the end?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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So your butt doesn't slam shut!

bada bing!