David Corn (Tom Paine): Perks Of A One-Party Town

[Jack Rabbit]

From TomPaine.com
Dated Thursday August 4

Perks Of A One-Party Town
By David Corn

Ahhh, the benefits of a one-party town. For the party in charge, that is—not the citizens.

Consider this. Senior White House aides leak classified information to discredit a policy critic—an action that may have imperiled important anti-WMD operations of the CIA—and Congress doesn't bother to investigate. In fact, Sen. Pat Roberts, the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has said he would investigate special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's inquiry, rather than the initial wrongdoing (which may or may not be a crime). Why are no congressional GOPers publicly upset about the Plame/CIA leak? Could it be that the leaks were committed by fellow Republicans? Capitol Hill Republicans cannot argue that Congress should not investigate the leaks because a special prosecutor is already probing the matter. During the Whitewater days, Republicans routinely investigated issues being scrutinized by an independent counsel. No, it's duck and cover (up).

Over on the House side, somebody—I wonder who—inserted a provision into the energy bill that would set up a fund (of up to $1.5 billion) that energy firms, such as Halliburton, could tap into for money for exploration activities. According to Representative Henry Waxman, this measure was slipped into the bill after the legislation was officially settled, and most of this fund is expected to be managed by a big-energy consortium based in Sugar Land, Texas—which just happens to be in the congressional district of a fellow named Tom DeLay.

Doesn't this just cry out for an investigation? Not necessarily because it was criminal—though who knows?—but because it was wrong. (This may be the best recent proof of the axiom that not all wrongdoing in Washington, not even most of it, is illegal.) But don't expect any House GOPer to express indignation over such a flagrant abuse of power and brazen expropriation of taxpayer money. (At $60 a barrel, energy companies need incentives to find new sources of oil? Where's Milton Friedman when you need him?)

It's basically impossible these days to read the newspaper and not see a story that wouldn't make for a fine congressional investigation. But where are the investigations? The Republicans have largely abandoned the oversight responsibility of Congress. Why? Because they don't want to investigate other Republicans.

Read more.

[carnie_sf]

1. The rank smell of hypocrisy

ir smells a lot like Repuke sweat