You'll never take me alive, copper!

And I thought the GOP was all about being tough on crime. Only if it's the crime of being poor, I guess! But if the Majority Leader breaks the law and gets caught - and indicted - well, people make mistakes.

Today they seem to be reversing their initial stance of eradicating the rules. At least the House of Representatives has maintained a little dignity. Sort of. In a way. If you look at it right. And squint.

So, the GOP is backing off their proposed rule change. For those who don't know, the short story is this:

Right after they took control of the House, the GOP passed a set of rules that was tough on House members and forced members who had been indicted to step down from the leadership post. Which was actually a good idea. It was a strong signal that the House was not above the law and could police themselves. So far, so good. Until their own guy broke the law. Now, all of a sudden, the rules are too strict and ill-defined. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that crooked, lying, thieving thugs are running things. As the Times reports, the GOP has once again changed it's tune and they're not going to OVERTLY protect Tom Delay by eliminating the rule. Even though they're still protecting Tom Delay.


Poor Tom.

Why am I still cynical, despite the fact that public pressure and moral conviction won a small victory this morning? Perhaps it was this telling quote from the spokesman for a pompous and bloated elderly man, as reported by the AP:

"It would have been the right thing to do, but it was becoming a distraction," said John Feehery, spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., referring to a relaxation in ethics rules - including one that would make it more difficult to rebuke members whose misconduct doesn't reach the level of specific rule or law violations.

How exactly would it have been the right thing to do? Seriously. What is right about it?

I just can't stand hypocrisy. It's one thing to break the law or to make a mistake or to just simply be wrong. It's another thing to re-write the laws as you go, as if the Constitution were written on an etch-a-sketch.

I have a feeling that we're not far from the day when we see a deranged Tom Delay, tommy gun in hand, perched defiantly atop the roof of the US Capitol shouting, "Top o' the world, Ma!"