DEN OF THIEVES

This is astounding. No, it's downright Nixonian, except that Nixon kept firing the Special Prosecutor investigating him, rather than just his Republican buddies. (Who doesn't think there ought to be somebody investigating Bush? Is that a hand way, way back there in the back? No?)

House Appropriations chairman and Leslie Nielsen/Peter Graves lookalike Jerry Lewis (R-CA), who "is under federal investigation for possible improprieties in how he oversaw Congress' spending of $900 billion annually", fired 60 investigators, contract workers, who had been working for his committee. They were fired Monday morning, effective immediately. Only 16 permanent investigators remain to handle the "extraordinary level of fraud investigations facing the panel." "This eviscerates the investigatory function" said one of the contractors, into the myriad fraud, waste, and abuse the staff was actively investigating.

One might think these investigations are like those that brought down Randy "Duke" Cunningham, himself a member of the House Appropriations panel. Oh no, no, no. Heaven forbid! In case you don't recall, Cunningham was brought down by Marcus Stern, a reporter for the Copley News Service. Now, Cunningham is having a hissy fit, blaming Stern for having been sent to prison, and "telling him his 'constant cruelty' had nearly destroyed Cunningham's life." Apparently, in his own mind, Cunningham's own actions had nothing to do with it.

I guess the House Appropriations committee doesn't want to take any chances by having enough fraud investigators to actually investigate fraud, what with seemingly dozens of members of Congress under scandal and investigation now. Is anyone keeping tabs? I mean, I'm losing count here. Wonkette has a Crook List but it's not just limited to Congress. It includes lobbyists, aides, miscellaneous Bushies.

Where does it all end? Hopefully, on November 7th. Then the American people just might end it, if this country is still a shadow of what it was once.

Again, astounding. I long for the days when we had a president subverting the Constitution only to cover his own sorry ass. "Crooks" hardly describe these Republican Congressmen and Senators. Congress is nothing but a Den of Thieves.