DeLay Lands Coveted Appropriations Spot

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DeLay wins key committee assignment

Thursday, February 9, 2006; Posted: 1:42 p.m. EST (18:42 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay, forced to step down as the No. 2 Republican in the House, scored a soft landing Wednesday as GOP leaders rewarded him with a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee.

DeLay, R-Texas, also claimed a seat on the subcommittee overseeing the Justice Department, which is currently investigating an influence-peddling scandal involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his dealings with lawmakers. The subcommittee also has responsibility over NASA -- a top priority for DeLay, since the Johnson Space Center is located in his Houston-area district.

"Allowing Tom DeLay to sit on a committee in charge of giving out money is like putting Michael Brown back in charge of FEMA -- Republicans in Congress just can't seem to resist standing by their man," said Bill Burton, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

GOP leaders also named California Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon as chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee. Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, vacated that post after winning a campaign to replace DeLay. (Full story)

McKeon is a seven-term conservative who has a generally good relationship with educators. He authored a 2001 law to remove disincentives for workers who would have lost part of their Social Security benefits when switching jobs to become public school teachers.

DeLay was able to rejoin the powerful Appropriations panel -- he was a member until becoming majority leader in 2003 -- because of a vacancy created after the resignation of Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-California. Cunningham pleaded guilty in November to charges relating to accepting $2.4 million in bribes for government business and other favors.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

cnn news

this stuff is really getting absurd.

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But nevertheless, the presumption of innocence until guilt is verified should apply. My Congressman asked me the same question re House Speaker Jim Wright during his scandal and got the same answer. I despised Wright and his politics, but I did not think he should have to give up his place in Congress until convicted of wrong doing.

Any other policy means that all you have to do is level enough accusations to get an indictment to take down anybody whether they are guilty of anything or not. Our system should not be vulnerable to such an opportunity to use lie after lie until something sticks to oust somebody.

If a person is charged with impropriety in his legislative duties, then a suspension could be in order of course. We have a State Treasurer here, for instance, caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and we thought it improper that he should get to keep holding the cookie jar (and all the evidence) while awaiting his trial.

Delay can't hurt anything but the GOP reputation by fulfilling a committee assignment however. and I don't think he should lose his job over an indictment not related to it.

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Well, it is getting more difficult to find a Republican who is not under some kind of scrutiny. Cunningham, who DeLay is replacing on one committee, was an old fashioned grabass and graft kind of guy. Delay is different. Cut from the same cloth as Bush, you act as if the law does not apply to you and, if you are lucky long enough, you'll get away with murder.

Maybe he will act statesmanlike and recuse himself from the lobbying investigation.

Joe(Fat Chance.)Nation

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Joe Nation wrote:

Well, it is getting more difficult to find a Republican who is not under some kind of scrutiny. Cunningham, who DeLay is replacing on one committee, was an old fashioned grabass and graft kind of guy. Delay is different. Cut from the same cloth as Bush, you act as if the law does not apply to you and, if you are lucky long enough, you'll get away with murder.

Maybe he will act statesmanlike and recuse himself from the lobbying investigation.

Joe(Fat Chance.)Nation

Really? Do you remember any occasion in which I have suggested the law does not apply to me? Or any occasion in which I have condoned law breaking of any kind?

Difficult to find any Republican not under any kind of scrutiny? Care to compare Republican vs Democrat on that one?

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Re: DeLay Lands Coveted Appropriations Spot

DontTreadOnMe wrote:

DeLay wins key committee assignment

Thursday, February 9, 2006; Posted: 1:42 p.m. EST (18:42 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay, forced to step down as the No. 2 Republican in the House, scored a soft landing Wednesday as GOP leaders rewarded him with a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee.

DeLay, R-Texas, also claimed a seat on the subcommittee overseeing the Justice Department, which is currently investigating an influence-peddling scandal involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his dealings with lawmakers. The subcommittee also has responsibility over NASA -- a top priority for DeLay, since the Johnson Space Center is located in his Houston-area district.

"Allowing Tom DeLay to sit on a committee in charge of giving out money is like putting Michael Brown back in charge of FEMA -- Republicans in Congress just can't seem to resist standing by their man," said Bill Burton, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

GOP leaders also named California Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon as chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee. Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, vacated that post after winning a campaign to replace DeLay. (Full story)

McKeon is a seven-term conservative who has a generally good relationship with educators. He authored a 2001 law to remove disincentives for workers who would have lost part of their Social Security benefits when switching jobs to become public school teachers.

DeLay was able to rejoin the powerful Appropriations panel -- he was a member until becoming majority leader in 2003 -- because of a vacancy created after the resignation of Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-California. Cunningham pleaded guilty in November to charges relating to accepting $2.4 million in bribes for government business and other favors.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

cnn news

this stuff is really getting absurd.

Replacing one crook with another!! That's "Family Values""!!

Anon

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Next...

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Quote:

Quote:
Delay is different. Cut from the same cloth as Bush, you act as if the law does not apply to you and, if you are lucky long enough, you'll get away with murder.

Maybe he will act statesmanlike and recuse himself from the lobbying investigation.

Joe(Fat Chance.)Nation

Really? Do you remember any occasion in which I have suggested the law does not apply to me? Or any occasion in which I have condoned law breaking of any kind?

Get me re-write!!!

Delay is different, but he is cut from the same cloth as George W. Bush. The two of them act as if the law does not apply to them. If their luck holds out long enough, they'll get away with just about anything, torture and wiretaps for George, graft and money laundering for Tom, but maybe, just maybe ... .

Sometimes I write using the universal you, Foxfyre dear, you doesn't always mean you personally.

Oh, and given only the present office holders from both parties as candidates for scrutiny, let's compare.

I'll go first, or should I say Frist.

Joe(now you)Nation

By the way, I voted no. There is no reason that his constituents should lose their representation just because he's a law-breaker (to be determined precisely soon), meanwhile he has the people's business to attend to, we just hope he can keep himself in control while performing his duties and not swap anymore slush fund money around or take golfing trips for dubious reasons or well, you know the rest of the list.

JN

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I'm lost.

Isn't this man under indictment?

I would expect (it is certainly practice in my country, and I would suppose at least all Westminster style countries) for politicians to step aside from such jobs until the matter is settled in court.

This man gets what apears to be some kind of top position at such a time?

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that's the point, wabbit.

delay is indicted. delay steps down as majority leader because his presence in an enhanced position above that of a representitive would be distracting.

but then he magically appears on not one, but two powerful committees.

here's the important parts again;

Quote:

Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay, forced to step down as the No. 2 Republican in the House, scored a soft landing Wednesday as GOP leaders rewarded him with a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee.

DeLay, R-Texas, also claimed a seat on the subcommittee overseeing the Justice Department, which is currently investigating an influence-peddling scandal involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his dealings with lawmakers.

so in other words;

it seems to me that his situation has actually improved !

now he has an even greater tool for funneling money where he wants it to go.

and, he can keep a close eye on the abramoff investigation. which he's involved with in some way.

and.. funny how these appointments happen just as the reports come out that bush and abramoff are better aquainted than dubya had lead us to believe.

the frequency with which "coincidences" arise around bush and his crowd is simply mind boggling.

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Well, all political affiliation aside, that is just wrong, from my POV...conservative or progressive.

Why has it happened?

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dlowan wrote:

Well, all political affiliation aside, that is just wrong, from my POV...conservative or progressive.

Why has it happened?

well, the phrase "absolute power corrupts absolutely" is coming up more and more often lately.

the bush administration came into office with something of an attitude about presidential power to start with. and since 9/11, they have been even more arrogant about their actions. they've been doing whatever the hell they feel like and until recently, the few critics that were brave enough to stand up to them has been systematically trashed. i mean, really. every critic has been had his character assassinated. "he's bitter and no damn good" is the general tone.

so being in the catbird seat and sporting that new teflon coating, they have been convinced that they can say one thing, do another and be relatively assured that the base will back whatever they are told to and that critics can easily be smeared.

but that approach doesn't seem like it's gonna work much longer. the ever accumulating list of foul ups, snafus, shady dealings, political abuses, and the deadly money pit known as iraq is catching up to them.

a year from now, or maybe sooner, they aren't gonna be able to get away with this kinda crap. even when the chosen boy is a fellow member of the cowboy mafia.

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DeLay Lands Coveted Appropriations Spot

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