Actually, my biggest problem with journalists is that get a free pass for breaking laws, such as abetting crimes. For example, the journalists from the SF Chronicle who reported on the leaks from the grand jury transcripts for BALCO and/or the other Barry Bonds, et al, steroid stuff. My understanding is that leaking such info is a felony, and the reporters obviously abetted the felony, and perhaps committed the felony themselves by further leaking the transcripts. Seems like the reporters should be in jail for that. I’m all for a free press, but I think they should follow the law like the rest of us. For the record, I abhor Barry Bonds, and really hope he doesn’t hit any more home runs to tie Hank Aaron’s record.

NDT, I don’t recall Spitzer ever saying that as NY AG, but if he did, then obviously he has just joined the ever long and expanding list of hypocritical politicians. However, if he truly didn’t know that this happened, then, IMO, he gets one pass, and he has to make it clear and in no uncertain terms that his staff has to be squeaky clean from now on, or Spitzer should resign, and let someone else take charge.

Similarly, if Cheney truly had no idea that Libby was going to perjure himself and otherwise had nothing to do with Libby’s perjury, then I don’t think Cheney should resign or be impeached/removed from office.

Spitzer constantly whined and cried when he was the NY Attorney General that CEOs were always responsible for and always knew about the behavior of people underneath them, no matter how many levels down in the company.

But now that he’s been caught, he’s spinning, insisting that he knew nothing about the activities of two people underneath him.

Granted, this is no different than Nancy Pelosi shrieking that anyone who commits campaign finance fraud should be thrown out of Congress when she herself has, or that anyone who knew about Mark Foley in advance and did nothing was protecting child molestors when she herself did, but V’s point is well taken; these people get a free pass from the media because they are Democrats.

And why the media does that is patently obvious. Indeed, leftist journalism organizations like the New York Times supposedly ban contributions, but the flat-out lie involved in that statement becomes obvious when you see all the Times reporters and writers that do it with no punishment whatsoever.

This is why I will never support a shield law for journalists; those should be reserved for professions with ethics.

As for Byrd, I don’t know a lot of his despicable KKK Grand Dragon background. The fact that he even belonged to such an organization is bad enough. And if he is responsible for the death of anyone, then I hope evidence exists enough so that he can finally be removed from the Senate. Short of that, I am more concerned now that he is one of the biggest and worthless windbags the Senate has had in a long time, proud of his pork*, a bigoted homophobe, and has been in the Senate 40 years too long. I’m sure his “passioned” speech against the line-item veto was about principal and not to protect his privileged pork status. Yeah, right.

*The biggest problem I have is that for some reason, seniority rules favor long time senators, like Byrd and Stevens, in bringing pork to their state. I would definitely eliminate any and all seniority perks. I’m not sure why a state that reelects two scumbag senators for 50 years should be rewarded and a state that regularly cleans out the crooked politicians in their state be punished. Then again, if we had a line item veto, this would not be an issue. To ramble further, perhaps the President should just make it clear that any bill with more than one item on it (especially one containing unrelated riders) will automatically be vetoed. That might be a good alternative.

I don’t deny the GOP has problems. The GOP needs to re-invent itself, and needs serious work in returning to first principles and building state-level organizations.

But I’m not a partisan hack. I don’t care about Democrat versus Republican, I care about right versus wrong. It’s right that Republicans kick their scumbags to the curb. It’s wrong that the Democrats rally around their scumbags.

So what exactly makes Republicans better than Democrats in that regard?

like i said, because we kick our corrupt members out, you dont, you circle the wagons and defend them no matter what theyve done, you re-elect them and promote them.

a. William Jefferson (D-LA)
b. James Trafficant (D-OH)
c. Robert Byrd (D-KKK)
d. The entire Massachusetts delegation (D)

lets not forget Dianne Feinstein who has personally been profitting millions by steering government contracts to her husbands firms.

Or Hillary Clinton, who the prosecutor says told “false and misleading” statements under oath in the Travelgate cronyism scandal. And who “couldnt find” Rose Hill Law firm documents for several years even though they were in her White House residence (also in violation of federal law) the whole time. And whose Senate campaign was found guilty of illegally hiding millions in donations so they could cheat in the election by pretending to be out of money, then swamping the airwaves with a huge last minute campaign advertising blitz.

There’s BJ Clinton who, among many other corruptions, lied under oath to a federal grand jury, obstructed justice, gave missile technology to Communist China for illegal campaign contributions (they are now capable of hitting any part of the United States with nuclear intercontinetal missiles…thanks Bill) and is the subject of 5 credible rape allegations.

Or Harry Reid who had greatly profitted from his many LA-Times-exposed corrupt land deals, his proven ties and apparent quid pro quo relationship with Jack Abrahamoff, accepting gifts in violation of Senate rules and illegally using campaign donations for personal use (to buy Christmas gifts, pay bonuses, etc).

Or the treasonous Sandy Berger who stole and destroyed top secret National Security Domcuments that belong the American people, so that the 9/11 commission and the American people could never learn the full truth about the negligence and utter incompetence of the Clinton administration.

And dont forget the erstwhile TOP Democrat on the House Ethics Committee, Alan Mollohan, who is under federal investigation for funnelling $250 Million to non-profit organizations that he set up, and tax evasion.

…and that’s who Democrats think is most qualified to head up the ethics committee! (of course because Democrats dont give a rats ass about ethics, they see the committee as just another tool for their corrupt political gain)

And there’s Jim McDermott (D Seattle) who was found guilty in a court of law of violating the constitutional rights of Leader John Boehner and ordered to pay Boehner something in the neighborhood of $800,000, and I believe thats in addition to legal fees. The aforementioned corrupt Democratic “ethics” committee members refuse to allow McDermotts case to come before the committee.

There’s Representative Gwen Moore (D Milwaukee) whose son was convicted of slashing the tires of 25 Republican get-out-the-vote vehicles (the former mayor of Milwakuee, Michael Pratt’s son was also convicted, but thats a local office, not national.)

There’s Senator Maria Cantwell who faced a tough primary for re-election….so she hired her opponent for a whopping $8,000/month salary.

Theres Al Gore, who in response to being caught illegally campaigning from the white house for illegal foreign contributions famously replied that there is “no controlling legal authority”

Theres the FBI-designated “unindicted co-conspirator” Jack Murtha, and his bribes, his corrupt earmarks, and abusing his leadership position in violation of house rules to threaten and intimidate other lawmakers.

…And I could go on, and on, and on…

Yes, there are a few corrupt Republicans here and there, but when it comes to corruption, Democrats are the professionals.

And theres a REASON theres so many more corrupt Democrats (well, aside from their ideology of increasing the power of people in govt and decreasing the power of the people) …because whenever republicans discover a corrupt member, they make them resign or kick them out…Democrats re-elect and promote them!

substitute “David Duke” for “Byrd” in your sentence and see if you feel the same way.

Except that perpetuates a completely invalid comparison.

When David Duke tried to run for office, claiming he was a Republican, the Republican Party denounced him and said he wasnt welcome in our party.

Imperial Grand Dragon Robert Byrd has not only been embraced, re-elected, and promoted by Democrats.–they even call the Ku Klux Klansman, the “Concience of the Democratic Party.”

But you can add Alaska’s Senate seat to the list of seats the Republicans will have a hell of a time holding on to. Because it’s not just Ted Stevens. Republican lawmakers at the state level in Alaska were taking bribes too. Alaska’s at-large Congressman Young has had his name banded about also. It’s a widespread investigation involving a significant number of Republican lawmakers there. It’ll be a difficult climate for Republicans in Alaska next year.

Should popular Anchorage mayor Mark Begich run for the Democrats, that’ll be another top tier race, in an already crowded field of top tier races among Republican incumbents.

Has he ever been accused, investigated for murder? And guess what, there isn’t a statute of limitations on murder, so why haven’t all you people who whine about him and Kennedy do something about it?

I never suggested that Imperial Grand Dragon Robert Byrd ever murdered anyone. There certainly isnt any evidence that he did. I said he was in the leadership of an organization that is famous for murdering blacks as a matter of regular operations, and he knew that when he joined, he knew that when he took his leadership position, and he only apologized when it became politically necessary to do so.

Thank you though, for proving my point so definitavely….that there is nothing short of being convicted for murder that you are not willing to let slide, so long as the person votes your way.

V is right – nobody in the GOP hierarchy is defending Stevens, nor should they. However, name one Dhimmicrat lawmaker who has condemned and/or publicly rebuked the following for their own ethical hypocrisy:

a. William Jefferson (D-LA)
b. James Trafficant (D-OH)
c. Robert Byrd (D-KKK)
d. The entire Massachusetts delegation (D)

I rest my case.

Regards,
Peter H.

On the other hand, Democrats always defend their own, regardless of how sleazy they are. Gerry Studds intern molestations, Ted Kennedy’s drunken vehicular manslaughter, Cold Cash Jefferson’s indictments… none of these were impediments to their political careers. And then there’s the Democrat Presidential candidate with the impeached felon as her campaign co-chair… what’s her name again? (And I’m not referring to her impeached disbarred husband… the Hero of the Democratic Party.)

Not that I’m defending Byrd. I’ll readily admit, he is sleazy. He probably benefits from his racist past among certain voters, while also getting the benefit of the doubt that he’s changed among others. Hence why he continues to get re-elected.

And how about Senator Earmark from Alaska? The longest serving Republican Senator in American History under federal indictment? That should make for a compelling narrative next year for the GOP. As if Bush’s popularity wasn’t enough of a drag on Republican candidates…

“But the Internet, it’s not a truck! It’s a series of tubes!”
-Ted Stevens, June 2006

Hypocrisy, thy name is liberalism.

And compare the treatment of Byrd by the MSM and his party of his so-called “misdeeds” as GRAND KLEAGLE of the KKK versus how the media pilloried Trent Lott (R-MS) for his birthday comments for Strom Thurmond of the 1948 Dixiecrat Party.

But to quote Will: “But not so in the Democratic party where it’s always “politics uber alles.”*

*Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment.”

I second that emotion.

Regards,
Peter H.