On the subject of Tom DeLay

My conservative cousin from New York asks, “wasn’t it a major point of the Republican revolution that business as usual would no longer be tolerated in Congress?” The answer is yes. And to the extent that this promise has not been kept in the House, it is among the factors that voters can consider when voting in House elections. It is also something that House Republicans can consider when electing their leaders. However, a failure to cease doing business as usual does not constitute a sound basis for accusing House members or their leaders of ethical violations. Only evidence of an actual violation should suffice for that purpose. That’s where, as far as I can tell, the Democrats are coming up short in the current controversy.