So much for draining the swamp

You all remember that, right? When Granny Rictus proclaimed that she would "drain the swamp" of corrupt politics? Well, Glenn Reynolds says don't you believe it, and he points out a story where she and other Democrat leaders are applying pressure to their colleagues to end the push for an ethics probe against John Murtha:

House Democratic leaders, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), have ratcheted up the pressure on their rank-and-file members to oppose a resolution calling for an ethics committee investigation into the ties between key Democrats and a controversial defense-lobbying firm.

Democratic leaders have told their members they should let the ethics panel do its work and stop supporting a measure sponsored by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) that calls for an ethics probe into political donations from the now-defunct PMA Group lobbying firm and earmarks its clients received.

With Congress back in session, Democratic leaders plan to lean on their members again this week or next. The pressure appears to be working. Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Tim Walz (D-Minn.), two of more than two dozen Democrats who supported Flake’s measure in the latest vote, on April 1, are now wavering.

“I’ll see what the resolution looks like when it comes up the next time,” Kind said when asked if he plans to continue to support the resolution.

Walz spokeswoman Amanda Frie said her boss is debating whether to support the resolution again in the wake of an announcement last week by the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), a new ethics review board, that it had opened 10 cases. The OCE disclosed only the number of open cases, not their subject matter. “He’s waiting to see how those turn out,” Frie explained.

Even though Kind is reconsidering his support for the Flake measure, he remains deeply concerned about the corruptive influence of earmarks and worries that the party is “on a collision course” on the issue if more reforms are not implemented. He said the issue is so “fraught with landmines” that he has personally expressed his views on earmark reforms to President Obama and other White House staff.

Flake has been a constant and consistent crusader against the pork-and-earmark addicted Congress. And Flake's right to do this, as Kind points out the corruptive nature of earmarks. John Murtha is the "king of congressional pork" and has taken home billions to Pennsylvania in taxpayer dollars; bribes, in essence, to keep his House seat.

Flake needs to get members of his party together, especially Boehner and Cantor, and call out the Democrats on the floor of the House. Get out there, and call Granny Rictus down from her throne, and publicly shame her on this. She's been running cover for corrupt member of her caucus for years. She almost appointed former impeached judge, Alcee Hastings, to chair the House Intelligence Committee. She has protected William "Dollar Bill" Jefferson from being removed from the House over his bribery indictment. This power hungry b*tch won't drain the swamp because she's bloody well neck deep in it.

Can Flake and the Republicans pull this off, and shine the light on Murtha's dirty deeds? Time will tell, but we wouldn't hold our breath on this one, folks. The Democrats are in charge, and they're running roughshod over whatever or whoever gets in this way. House rules? What House rules? The Constitution? Ink on a page to Democrats. Too bad we can't launch an ethics probe into the Democrats, as a whole, in Congress. Of course if that happened, three-quarters of their caucus would be tossed out on their ears.

Publius II