The thing you always need to remember when Democrat politicians talk is that they’re lying. ~Tom DeLay

Strong words from the ethics rules-violator and indicted corruption suspect.  I have taken DeLay’s presence at The Politico to be an indication of that operation’s biases, but I am beginning to think that only a cunning progressive strategist would bring on someone as discredited, dishonest and generally undesirable as Tom DeLay to represent the Republican or conservative side in any sort of point-counterpoint segment.  It’s like inviting Ken Lay as the spokesman for company management to a meeting about shareholders’ rights.  His every column might as well be a declaration: corrupt and indicted ex-Congressmen are the perfect representatives for the right.  That’s the impression his continued presence at Politico gives. 

The alternative explanation is that editors at The Politico think it is a good idea to associate with people indicted on corruption charges.  I believe William Jefferson might soon be looking for a writing gig–maybe Politico can team up the two of them and they can swap pointers on how to abuse the public’s trust. 

Oh, yes, DeLay goes on to say that there is no real scandal surrounding Gonzales and the USA firings, in the sense that there was nothing illegal about them.  This actually happens to be true (not that DeLay can explain why), but it also gives you a pretty good sense of how indifferent many House Republicans would probably have continued to be to any perceived or real improprieties committed by the administration had they remained in power.  The Democrats are here engaged in something called “oversight.”  We understand that this would confuse DeLay, since the Republican majority forgot how to oversee the executive branch once Mr. Bush came to power.  The Democrats may be pursuing pseudo-scandals, which would, of course, appear to put them in the exact position of the GOP majority from 1995-98 (though some of these scandals had some substance, as some of the Bush scandals have), but in the process they are also uncovering the endless depths of administration incompetence. 

That seems to be in the public interest.  It also happens to be the Democrats’ partisan interest, which is how an adversarial, divided government is supposed to work: there is supposed to be an incentive for power to check power and the vying interests of different branches and different groups to counter one another.  This hardly results in the ideal preservation from tyranny that some 18th century gentlemen hoped for, but it is certainly more desirable than having the Congress pathetically prostrating itself before the President and his ministers in all things.  I suppose it is unavoidable that members of the President’s party will whine about oversight and also unavoidable that they will become supremely self-righteous in demanding the same oversight when the other party gets the White House.  It is as predictable as it is tiresome.  I much prefer the rare few who actually think that Janet Reno and Alberto Gonzales should have never been appointed, who believe that both Libby and Clinton were guilty of breaking the law, who believe that William Jefferson and Tom DeLay are probably guilty and who believe that both Messrs. Clinton and Bush are dreadful, dishonest men who have started wars without good reason.  There are few people who believe all of these things, because party loyalty has great pull on people.  We all would like to believe that “our side” is entirely free from all serious faults, as if someone’s political leanings made him magically more or less immune to the temptations of power, but this is horribly wrong.  Indeed, it is just this sort of attitude that breeds the destructive, corrupting complacency in large sections of the public when “their” side engages in horrible behaviour that would otherwise outrage the silent collaborators among the people.  

Amusingly, DeLay compares himself to Robert Torricelli, which doesn’t strike me as the sort of thing you would want to say if you are maintaining that you are innocent of corruption charges.