She probably lost sleep over this decision, that's the funny thing. After beating up--rightly so--on corruption in the GOP Congressional ranks for a year or more, Speaker-to-be Pelosi just announced, after much gnashing of teeth, that she will not appoint Rep. Alcee Hastings to chair a Congressional national security panel.
Why not? Probably only because he was IMPEACHED by Congress a few years before getting elected to Congress. Apparently, federal judges are not supposed to get paid by defendants to get reduced sentences. Who knew.
Ever the shrewd politician, Pelosi saw the possible political downside of appointing a man who took bribes while on the bench to now oversee national security. This political masterstroke came after she supported Rep. Murtha for Majority Leader. He lost, and was, by the way, implicated in a Congressional bribery probe in the 1980's--deep bench that Pelosi is working with.
What, by the way, has the Democratic leadership announced will be their first order of business upon assuming control of Congress? I'm not kidding here--Ethics Reform. Senator Reid made that announcement today--and he's squeaky clean. Good luck with that "reform," looks like the leadership certainly has experience with the issue. Maybe not the type of experience we'd want, but experience nonetheless!
A rose by any other name,
Thomas More
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