I couldn't agree more. I used to say something similar about Reagan; and I used to say that he should be in jail... in the same cell as Nixon. These are the kinds of statements of which conscientious Americans should be justly proud. I'm unapologetically behind Howard Dean on this one, all the way. And as the Chair of the Democratic party, you can expect that to be my position on him and his statements for the next four years... at least. SEE: http://www.withoutdelay.org
Exactly! Once again Mr. DesElsms, you took the words out of my mouth. That scumbag Delay should be behind bars! I only hope his moralistic party keep standing behind him. I saw Dean on Meet the Press this morning, Tim Russert grilled him, and Dean didn't flinch once! Good for him! I will also go on record as standing behind Dean 100% ! Abner
Re: Exactly! Hmm, DeLay did exactly what many other Congressmen, both Democrat and Republican, have done only to a larger level. If we are going to persecute him, we need to do the same to them, UNLESS this is really all about partisan politics.
Re: Exactly! I'll sidestep, for the moment, a discussion about whether it's true that it's merely a matter of degree, and say, simply, that unless a valid and sound equal protection argument can be made, your point matters not. If it did, we would never be able to prosecute the people we do catch breaking the law because of all the others whom we didn't catch. One of the first, and most lame, things that a caught crook often utters is, "Why're you arrestin' me? How come you're not arrestin' him? He did worse than me!" And of course, the answer is, the law doesn't care what he did in relation to what you did. They're separate issues. When isn't it these days?
Re: Re: Exactly! I agree, of course we are forgetting a central point, the Republicans were trying to change the ethics rules to accommodate this scumbag, it wasn't until they had the media spotlight on them that they decided to not change the rules! This has nothing to do with partisan politics. Good night! Abner
Re: Re: Exactly! Hi Gregg From a purely legal standpoint you are 100% correct, but from a more "people's court" point of view I disagree. It does seem to be all about partisan politics and the Democrats seem very ineffective at that. P.S. I think if we look back it has been that way since the beginning. This is just more of the same.
Wasn't it Dean who said that no less than Osama Bin Laden should get all the benefits of a presumption of innocence? How very, very interesting, this sudden retreat from such lofty ideals.
Re: Exactly! There are two distinct issues here: 1) Tom DeLay and his ethics problems 2) Howard Dean, DNC Chairman 1) Tom DeLay is certainly worthy of contempt. He has a well-earned reputation as an enforcer of GOP party discipline in the House, hence the nickname "The Hammer." Fair enough. However, he has also pushed the envelope on ethical issues repeatedly and unapologetically and yet ascribes all the negative press coverage a politically motivated smear campaign. While only a court can ultimately determine if DeLay's conduct was criminal, his poor judgement alone should disqualify him from a House leadership post immediately. Separately, it is up to the voters in his district to decide whether he is the person they want to represent them in Congress. 2) Howard Dean, former Vermont governor and Democratic presidential candidate, is the new DNC Chairman. His presidential campaign imploded when the Democratic party apparatus united behind John "Republican-lite" Kerry. Dean presented the voters will a real alternative to the Bush administration but he proved too unpredictable to the Democrat insiders who opted for Kerry's ill-fated candidacy. Dean is a man with strong convictions and opinions, albeit with views not shared by a majority of the voters at this time. The Democratic leadership may find that the party, under Dean's stewardship, may once again embrace a platform filled with new ideas which will contrast sharply with the well-known Republican positions. Hopefully, Dean will be able to shake the party out of the doldrums it has been in and present the American voters with a real choice in upcoming elections. It isn't Dean that will flinch but there is always the possibility that the party insiders will and Dean will be thrown under the train, so to speak. As far as Howard Dean and Osama Bin Laden, Dean's position is that the U.S. shouldn't abandon the moral high ground and 200+ years of tradition of respecting the terms of international treaties of which we are signatories. The rule of law shouldn't be set aside or curtailed significantly because of OBL. To do so - which the Patriot Act did - has given this POS more influence than his leadership of Al Qaeda warrants.
Re: Exactly! Agreed. Yep! And right he was, too. Nothing in Dean's statement suggests that he would have the trial part skipped. His remarks simply assume that Delay would be found guilty. No retreat there. What he said... except: You mean it wasn't the maniacal scream?
