Your first argument here was the Republicans clean hosue better than Dems. I point out Republican leadership was incapable of pressuring Craig to step down after his arrest. They tried, and they failed. (Not to mention to veritable tidal wave of _contemporary_ Republican scandals and ethics violations.) Your response?

“ZOMG Chappaquiddick!”

Hell, why not mention Teapot Dome while you’re at it?

Right now, scandals, sexual misconduct, and ethical lapses are part and parcel of the Republican Party. The modern-day Republican Party. William Jefferson? A drop in the bucket compared to your crooks.

Ted Kennedy is a serial killer now?

The Republicans have shunned him. They’ve ostracized him. There ain’t much more they can do.

On the flip side, Barney Frank got caught having a male prostitute work out of his home, and he’s still tremendously powerful in the House. Impeached federal judge Alcee Hastings came thisclose to heading up the House Intelligence Committee.

And this week we saw the canonization of serial philanderer, womanizer, and killer Ted Kennedy.

I dunno when Craig’s current term is up, but I’d be tremendously surprised if the GOP didn’t back the hell out of a primary challenger — treat him like the Democrats treated Lieberman during his last run.

Craig is a dead man walking, politically. He just doesn’t have enough sense to lie down. He apparently gets stuck in the “squatting” position.

J.

But thanks for playing.

(You do know that Larry Craig is still a US Senator, correct? That the Republican leadership was incapable of getting him to step down after sexually harrassing a stranger in an airport bathroom? So sure, his fellow Republicans might not like him, but _he’s still serving his term_. Yeesh. Why do I even bother with you?)

Larry Craig? NO ONE wants to be seen with him.

Tom DeLay? A swine, but a special case. Any time the prosecutor needs three grand juries (the first refuses to indict, the second violates the Constitution to bring an indictment), I’m inclined to think the prosecutor’s got a grudge.

I never said that the Republicans were perfect. If I had, a single example would disprove it. I simply said they were better — and the list of disgraced Democrats who still enjoy much acclaim and positions of trust within their party’s ranks.

The last thing I will say is that, in a democracy, the people tend to get the government they deserve. This certainly holds true in Alaska in this case. And, for that matter, in New Orleans as well.

J.

For somebody who says a lot of really stupid things Jay Tea, this has to take the cake.

Just ask Larry Craig.

It is a Big Tent, after all, amirite?

Once again, Mr. Tea misstates the facts.

Senator Feinstein sat on the military construction subcomittee of the Senat Appropriations committee. During that time, her husband, an inventment banker, held controlling interests in two companies in the construction and environmental cleanup business. These two companies won contracts totalling $1.5 billion from the committee over a period of four years.

There is no indication that Senator Feinstein “funnelled” any money, or for that matter, took any action at all in the companies’ favor. At the very worst, one could accuse Senator Feinstein of a conflict of interest–but the Senate Ethics committee has made no such finding.

Yes, but before anyone else found out about it, the republicans were more than happy to keep it on the DL.

Indeed. Studds was censured 420-3 and stripped of his chairmanship of the House Merchant Marine Subcommittee for a relationship that was consensual and legal. Surely his contituents never paid attention to the newspapers or teevee which led to Studds multimple re-elections.

And once Foley was exposed, he was instant poison. Contrast with Gerry Studds, who took a page overseas, got him liquored up, then had his way with him. Studds was given plum positions and honors right up until he retired.

J.

Yup, Foley was gone the minute the Republican leadership learned of his messages to minors.

The Repubs are pretty good at turning on/turning out their dirtbags. The Democrats… not so much. Alcee Hastings, William Jefferson, Gerry Studds, Jesse Jackson, Mel Reynolds, Dianne Feinstein (who funneled literally billions to her husband’s companies)… the list goes on. “Disgraced Democrat” seems to be a bit of an oxymoron — they simply don’t seem to suffer.

About the only Democrats that get treated really, really shabbily are those who lose the presidency. Walter Mondale, Mike Dukakis, and John Kerry were positively toxic after their losses, and I seem to recall Gore suffered some backlash after he lost in 2000.

I find myself wondering how Obama will fare should he lose in November. The Democrats have a great track record of “bayoneting the wounded.”

J.

Whups. My bad. Too used to folks bringing up the Lewinski affair as the equivalent of actual corruption or mis-use of office and I just tacked “Clinton” on to the end of the name.

Just a guess.