The Republican M.O.

Hastert says the reason the Dems are blocking the Ethic Committee from meeting is to protect their own, not because of Delay:

"We know there are four or five cases out there dealing with top-level Democrats," Hastert told the conservative Sean Hannity radio program.

"There's a reason that they don't want to go to the ethics process and as long as they can keep someone dangling out there like they have with Tom DeLay, they take great glee in that," the Illinois Republican said.

As one Dem points out later on, the idea is laughable particularly since some of the items mentioned are well over a decade old yet no ethics charges have been filed, while the recent changes the Dems are pissed about are only a few months old. And perhaps they could explain the reason the Republicans who voted for censure on DeLay were removed from the committee by Hastert and replaced with DeLay cronies?

This is another great example of how the right works... don't just defend your position; take up an offensive position or call your position something completely different than what it is no matter how absurd. Previous examples: attacking Kerry's war record as a war hero, proposing double the tax cut everyone thought they might push for, calling a regulatory sop to the energy industry the "Clear Skies" initiative, and many many more. And of course the MSM and the right-wing noise machine will run with it and, at the very least, turn it into a "he said/she said" affair.

If they want to attack Pelosi and those other Dems, then fine... bring it. Just go back to the pre-DeLay-tailored rules and have at it... but something makes me think that they are unwilling to do so.