GregsOpinion.com

Funny ... I thought this was described in the past as an "unofficial" truce to the extent that it has even been denied as being such a truce by many on both sides. Now it seems Carter has let the cat out of the official bag ... there was a truce. Nevermind that such a truce can only be described as a means of protecting incumbents.

Including the parts of said Contract that even Tom DeLay openly disagreed with? Curious. If Tom DeLay is a man of such ethics, principles, and godliness, let's ask him to revisit term limits shall we? Retroactively even.

I'll applaud Carter on his newfound sense of fiscal conservatism. After years of exploding the deficit, enacting laws when the true costs were hidden by the Bush White House, and passing on unfunded mandates to States and school districts everywhere, not to even mention the $70 million spent by DeLay & Co. to ensure that Clinton's impeachment would proceed despite the lack of support by the American public ... but now John Carter is worried about the 10 member panel of the Ethics Committee spending a little time investigating whether or not some very serious charges violate House rules. Once more, the double standard rises ... amazing.

Now this is rich. Let me pass on a little hint to Carter. Something that's verifiably proven by a quick check on Google. Chris Bell was elected citywide in 1997 and 1999. Last time I checked, one of the few things that is most difficult to gerrymander is the city limits. Next thing I suspect I'll hear is that Ted Kennedy gerrymandered Massachusetts to ensure his safe re-election. Carter ... you're credibility is at absolute zero here.

Saving his best for last, Carter omits one very important fact ... the Ethics Committee has agreed to hear the charges. While it doesn't mean they warrant a violation of House Rules, it does mean they are serious enough to warrant investigation. By definition, that means they are not frivolous. By definition, that means they warrant attention. By definition, that means they warrant explanation. On that, Carter comes up empty. Is anyone shocked?

UPDATE: KPRC's Steve Wasserman adds his two cents on the effort to restrict the job duties of lame duck Congressmen.

UPDATE II: The American Prospect has their two cents on Bell v DeLay also.

UPDATE III: A little dated, but the Christian Science Monitor combines news of the charges with a little profile on DeLay and a recap of events. Quote of the day:

"If Democrats want to [break the ethics truce], let them do it," says DeLay. "Our answer is to have an agenda."

See folks ... apparently, its more important to sweep things under the rug than to enact an agenda of personally attacking Chris Bell. I just continue to be amazed at how open the GOP is about defending an ethics truce above all else.