GOP, DeLay Cave&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

By John Amato — January 3, 2005

Daily Kos

The GOP will drop efforts to change the ethics rules, and will also go back to the old rule that indicted leadership have to surrender their posts.

House Republicans suddenly reversed course Monday, deciding to retain a tough standard for lawmaker discipline and reinstate a rule that would force Majority Leader Tom DeLay to step aside if indicted by a Texas grand jury. ..read on

The response from watchdog groups was bipartisan:

"All of this is designed to make one man truly above the law," said Melanie Sloan, of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said, "Tom DeLay is a poster boy for ethics problems in the House."

CREW skews left, while Judicial Watch skews right. Both are right.

Republicans gave no indication before the meeting that the indictment rule would be changed. Even more surprising was DeLay's decision to make the proposal himself.

First they're for ethics, then they're against them, now they're for them again.

We all know what that's called, right? Can "The Hammer' remain "The Hammer" after such an ignominious climb-down? Perhaps, we should be thinking more along the lines of The Mallet? And after all the trouble of getting Republican bankbenchers to walk the plank in support of the thing?

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