Seems DeLay's peers in the GOP are ready to remove his feeding tube...

[academic punk]

About time, too. He gives the party a bad name...

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/04/10/delay.ap/index.html

Private GOP tensions over Tom DeLay's ethics controversy spilled into public Sunday, as a Senate leader called on DeLay to explain his actions and one House Republican demanded the majority leader's resignation.

"Tom's conduct is hurting the Republican Party, is hurting this Republican majority and it is hurting any Republican who is up for re-election," Rep. Chris Shays, a Connecticut Republican, told The Associated Press in an interview, calling for DeLay to step down as majority leader.

DeLay, a Texas Republican who was admonished by the House ethics committee last year, has been dogged in recent months by new reports about his overseas travel funded by special interests, campaign payments to family members and connections to a lobbyist who is under criminal investigation.

A moderate Republican from Connecticut who has battled with his party's leadership on a number of issues, Shays said efforts by the House GOP members to change ethics rules to protect DeLay only make the party look bad.

"My party is going to have to decide whether we are going to continue to make excuses for Tom to the detriment of Republicans seeking election," Shays said.

Rick Santorum, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, said Sunday that DeLay needs to explain his conduct to the public.

"I think he has to come forward and lay out what he did and why he did it and let the people then judge for themselves," Santorum told ABC's "This Week." "But from everything I've heard, again, from the comments and responding to those, is everything he's done was according to the law.

"Now you may not like some of the things he's done," said Santorum, who is up for re-election next year in Pennsylvania. "That's for the people of his district to decide, whether they want to approve that kind of behavior or not."

DeLay's spokesman, Dan Allen, told AP that the congressman "looks forward to the opportunity of sitting down with the ethics committee chairman and ranking member to get the facts out and to dispel the fiction and innuendo that's being launched at him by House Democrats and their liberal allies."

The majority leader was admonished three times last year by that committee. The committee has been in limbo since March, when its five Democrats balked at adopting Republican-developed rules.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said last week that the controversy was distracting DeLay from dealing with more pressing problems before Congress.

Santorum, however, said DeLay is "very effective in leading the House" and "to date, has not been compromised."

A senior Democratic senator, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, had this advice for the Republicans who control both the House and Senate: "Be careful about how closely you embrace Mr. DeLay."

Dodd cited the new rules for the ethics committee that House Republicans rammed through in the wake of DeLay's difficulties. Those rules require a bipartisan vote before an investigation can be launched. DeLay's office also helped mount a counterattack last fall against Rep. Joel Hefley, a Colorado Republican, who was the ethics committee chairman when it came down against DeLay.

"Unfortunately, in his particular case, there's a process that he's tried to change so they could actually reach a determination as to whether or not he's innocent or guilty of the things he's been charged with," Dodd said. "But this is not going to go away."

DeLay "becomes the poster child for a lot of the things the Democrats think are wrong about Republican leadership. As long as he's there, he's going to become a pretty good target," Dodd said on ABC.

DeLay, who took center stage in passing legislation designed to keep alive Terri Schiavo, also has found that President Bush and congressional colleagues are distancing themselves from his comments, after her death, about the judges involved in her case.

"The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior," DeLay said, raising the prospect of impeaching members of a separate and independent branch of government. Later, he complained of "an arrogant and out of control judiciary that thumbs its nose at Congress and the president."

Bush, declining to endorse DeLay's comments, said Friday that he supports "an independent judiciary." He added, "I believe in proper checks and balances."

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee said last week that the judges "handled it in a fair and independent way," although he had hoped for a different result.

Democrats have said DeLay's remarks were tantamount to inciting violence against judges.

[Nickdfresh]

It's About Time that they kick this piece of shit to the curb!

BTW, nice thread title AC!:D

[BrownSound1]

I don't care what party someone belongs to..if they are doing shit illegally then they need to be held accountable for it. Believe it or not, there are a few on both sides of the aisle who actually try to follow the rules.

[vanzilla]

DeLay is a hypocritical piece of crap. And I'm not just saying that because he's a Republican. Although it helps.

[FORD]

Shays seems to be a reasonable enough guy as far as current Republicans go, but if Rick "man on dog" Santorum is criticizing the BugBoy in public, you know he's goin down.

Actually, at this point, you should keep an eye on the GOP congressmen who still defend the bastard. Especially the ones who are up for election in 2006 ;)

[Guitar Shark]

Few things would please me more than to see DeLay go down in flames.

[Guitar Shark]

Borowitz Report 4/11/05 (http://www.borowitzreport.com/Default.asp)

DeLAY DEFENDS FACT-FINDING MISSION TO DISNEYLAND
Not a Family Vacation, Congressman Insists

As allegations of ethical lapses continued to swirl around Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex), the House Majority Leader lashed out at his critics today, insisting that a 2002 trip his family took to Disneyland was a “top-secret fact-finding mission.”

The all-expenses-paid trip, during which Rep. DeLay and his family rode the Matterhorn no fewer than thirty-five times, was a clandestine mission to find weapons of mass destruction believed to be hidden inside Space Mountain, the congressman said today.

“The trip to Disneyland was a mission fraught with risk,” Rep. DeLay told reporters. “Thank heavens we all got home in one piece.”

Rep. DeLay said that his wife and children were so reluctant to go to Disneyland he had to pay them over $500,000 from his political action committee to change their minds.

The congressman also said that a privately financed trip to the Far East was not as extravagant as has been reported, arguing, “I did not tip the geisha.”

But the House Majority Leader's attempts to put ethical questions to rest may have only raised new ones, as reporters quizzed him about what if any weapons of mass destruction he and his family found hidden inside Space Mountain.

“We did not find WMD inside Space Mountain,” Rep. DeLay acknowledged. “But we did not find them inside Iraq, either, and on the whole the trip to Disneyland was a lot cheaper.”

Elsewhere, after several baseball players who allegedly took drugs received standing ovations during Opening Week, the Kansas City Royals announced that they would start Courtney Love in center field.

[LoungeMachine]

By PAM EASTON Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press

HOUSTON Apr 17, 2005 — House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, under fire for alleged ethics violations, accused liberal Democrats and the national media of giving him a hard time in a keynote speech at the National Rifle Association's annual convention Saturday evening.

DeLay only briefly mentioned the ethics accusations, telling members of the gun-rights group that he appreciated their support.

"When a man is in trouble or in a good fight, he wants all of his friends around him, particularly armed," the Republican from nearby Sugar Land said. "So I'm in good company tonight."

About 2,550 NRA members paid $75 to hear DeLay's speech and dine on salad with goat cheese and sirloin steak with peppercorn cognac sauce. Many wore stickers that read: "I'm for the NRA and Tom DeLay."

Some of DeLay's Republican colleagues have suggested in recent weeks that he resign as scrutiny builds over his overseas trips, political fund raising and his association with a lobbyist who is under federal investigation.

A district attorney in Texas is investigating a political fund raising committee DeLay helped launch to assist Republican candidates in the state's 2002 legislative elections.

Three DeLay associates and eight corporations have been indicted in the investigation, although three companies have reached agreements with the prosecutor.

DeLay has not been charged with any wrongdoing in any of the cases and has denied any legal or ethics violations.

More than 100 protesters gathered outside the hotel that hosted the convention, many saying they were more concerned with deterring DeLay than with banning guns.

"He is an embarrassment to our district," said protester Patricia Baig, a 57-year-old retired school teacher from Missouri City, Texas. "He doesn't represent his district and it is time for him to do the honorable thing and resign."

The NRA, which as 4 million members, has helped elect Republican lawmakers, such as DeLay, who support the group's efforts to limit lawsuits seeking damages against gun manufacturers and distributors and to make sure a ban on assault weapons isn't resurrected.

[FORD]

Too bad somebody didn't shoot him there. Uh, accidentally, of course.

[Nickdfresh]

Democrats: GOP abusing power for DeLay
Top Republican says majority leader won't step down

Sunday, April 17, 2005 Posted: 5:12 PM EDT (2112 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Top Democrats assailed House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Sunday over ethical questions that have put him at the center of a political firestorm, while Republicans came to his defense.

In appearances on political TV talk shows, congressional Democrats accused DeLay and fellow Republicans of an "abuse of power" in handling questions over DeLay's fund raising and overseas trips.

But Republicans struck back, accusing Democrats of political opportunism.

"Tom DeLay will stay as leader," Rep. Roy Blunt, the third-ranking Republican in the House, said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Democratic leaders took aim at changes made to the House Ethics Committee, saying the revisions were aimed at preventing an investigation from determining whether DeLay has violated House rules.

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer said Republican leaders "neutered" the committee.

After the 10-member committee admonished DeLay three times in 2004 and talk of a possible probe by the committee grew, Republican leadership in the House changed a central rule. The committee can now launch an investigation only if a majority of members support the idea.

Given that the panel is evenly divided between the parties, that would require at least one Republican member agreeing to investigate DeLay.

In response to the changes, Democratic members have refused to let the committee meet.

"I think the single thing that's gotten people most upset about Tom DeLay is not the back and forth on the ethical issues -- we do see that in Washington all the time -- but when he asks that the Ethics Committee be totally declawed, that it would have no power," Sen. Chuck Schumer said on ABC's "This Week."

"When Tom DeLay didn't like their findings, he basically got his majority in the House to undo it," the New York Democrat said. "That's an abuse of power. That's overreaching."

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, told CNN: "What bothers me is the Republicans, when things aren't going their way, tend to try to change the rules."

And Hoyer said on "Fox News Sunday" that Democrats would not "meet with an Ethics Committee that is neutered by the Republican leadership."

"The issue here is the abuse of power. And it's not just Tom DeLay," the Maryland Democrat said. "It's a Republican abuse of power."
Lott: 'Manufactured controversy'

Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican, told ABC the DeLay debate "is a manufactured controversy."

"It's a continuation of the politics of personal destruction we've seen in Washington for years," he said. "This is because Tom DeLay is an aggressive, strong leader who has done a fantastic job in the House of Representatives for 10 years."

Changes made to the ethics committee were "not abuse of power," he added. The new rule just says "that to go forward with an investigation, you need at least one member of the other party. If you have all of one [party], you need one of the other to make it truly bipartisan," he said.

And Blunt said, "It's no more difficult to file an ethics charge than it ever was."

But Rep. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, pointed out it was Republicans who established the previous rule allowing members of one party to order a probe. The rule was implemented in 1997, two years after Republicans gained control of the House.

"The Republican Revolution came in [and] changed the rules so that one party couldn't block an investigation of its own member," Frank told NBC. "And when that began to bite, they've changed them back again. That's the pattern, by the way, that the Republicans have engaged in on a whole lot of things."

Frank said he and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich were reprimanded by the committee.

"The difference between us and Mr. DeLay is, I think, we changed our behavior," he said. "Mr. DeLay changed the Ethics Committee."

Blunt countered that DeLay "wants the Ethics Committee to reorganize, so he can go to the committee" and lay out the facts.

"Tom DeLay wants to lay out that case. I think our friends on the other side know the only effective way he can do that is if the Ethics Committee does its work," Blunt said on "Meet the Press." "And they're using what I think is a totally spurious, trumped-up reason to say that the Ethics Committee can't do its work."

DeLay has called himself the victim of "just another seedy attempt by the liberal media to embarrass me" and has lashed out at Democrats for a "strategy of personal destruction." (Full story)

Although most Republicans have stood by him, some have expressed serious concerns. Connecticut Rep. Chris Shays said last week that he thinks DeLay should step down.

"It's been harmful to the Congress," he said. "I think it's been harmful to the Republican conference, a conference that ran on the highest ethical standard. I also think it's harmful to Republicans up for re-election."

Gingrich and Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania called on DeLay to step forward and lay out all the facts.

Ten Republican former members of Congress wrote a letter to the House leadership this past week opposing the changes made to the ethics committee, calling them "obvious action to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay."

DeLay, speaking to the National Rifle Association convention Saturday in Houston, Texas, did not directly address the ethics allegations. (Full story)

But in an apparent reference at one point, he used a line he attributed to gun-control advocate Sarah Brady, the wife of Jim Brady, a former spokesman for President Reagan who was shot in an assassination attempt on Reagan in 1981.

"Sarah Brady said that when a man's in trouble or in a good fight, you want all your friends around them, preferably armed," he said. "So I feel really good."

Much of his trouble stems from his relationship with lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is known as "Casino Jack" for making a fortune from the gambling operations of Indian tribes. (Full story)

News reports said Abramoff and other lobbyists paid for two of DeLay's overseas trips, which is prohibited by House rules.

[academic punk]

Here's the latest developments...

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/04/18/rove.delay/index.html

Yeah, I bet Karl "Jeff Gannon is my secret boyfriend" Rove is standing behind deLay...

[Guitar Shark]

This guy seriously needs to go.

CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/04/20/delay.judges.ap/index.html)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay says Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's work from the bench has been outrageous, his latest salvo at the federal judiciary in the weeks following the courts' refusal to stop Terri Schiavo's death.

DeLay also labeled a lot of the courts' Republican appointees as "judicial activists," a term applied by conservatives to judges they dislike for not following what they call strict interpretations of the Constitution.

The No. 2 Republican in the House has been openly critical of the federal courts since they refused to order the reinsertion of Schiavo's feeding tube. And he pointed to Kennedy as an example of Republican members of the Supreme Court who were activist and isolated.

"Absolutely. We've got Justice Kennedy writing decisions based upon international law, not the Constitution of the United States? That's just outrageous," DeLay told Fox News Radio on Tuesday. "And not only that, but he said in session that he does his own research on the Internet? That is just incredibly outrageous."

A spokeswoman for the court, Kathy Arberg, said Kennedy could not be reached for comment.

Although Kennedy was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Reagan, a conservative icon, he has aroused conservatives' ire by sometimes agreeing with the court's more liberal members. Nevertheless, it is unusual for a congressional leader to single out a Supreme Court justice for criticism.

Dan Allen, a DeLay spokesman, declined comment on the interview.

Democrats jumped on DeLay's comments Wednesday morning.

"Has the Internet become the devil's workshop?" said Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat. "Is it some infernal machine now that needs to be avoided by all right-thinking Americans? What is Mr. DeLay trying to say, as he is stretching to lash out at judges who happen to disagree with his political point of view."

Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, retorted: "Doesn't the other side have anything to talk about nowadays?"

DeLay has been criticized for his comments following Schiavo's death, which came despite Congress' passage of a law giving the federal courts jurisdiction to review her case. They declined to intervene.

"The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior," DeLay said in a statement.

He apologized last week, saying he had spoken in an "inartful" way. (Full story)

Conservatives have been pushing to get the Senate to confirm President Bush's most conservative judicial nominees, which Senate Democrats are blocking. The House has no power over which judges are given lifetime appointments to the federal bench.

However, DeLay has called repeatedly for the House to find a way to hold the federal judiciary accountable for its decisions. "The judiciary has become so activist and so isolated from the American people that it's our job to do that," he said.

One way would be for the House Judiciary Committee to investigate the clause in the Constitution that says "judges can serve as long as they serve with good behavior," he said. "We want to define what good behavior means. And that's where you have to start."

[BigBadBrian]

Originally posted by Guitar Shark
This guy seriously needs to go.



Why is that? :confused:

[Warham]

Don't Democrats around the country have to wonder why their party is thinking of Tom Delay all the time instead of worrying about things that matter, like Social Security?

I haven't heard a Democrat come up with a good way to salvage the system, besides attacking Bush's idea.

[Guitar Shark]

Originally posted by BigBadBrian
Why is that? :confused:

The reasons are numerous, but the most important ones to me are (1) his complete disrespect for the independence of the judiciary; and (2) his hypocrisy with respect to his alleged ethics violations.

The guy is a poor representative for the Republican party. They could do much better.

[Guitar Shark]

Originally posted by Warham
Don't Democrats around the country have to wonder why their party is thinking of Tom Delay all the time instead of worrying about things that matter, like Social Security?

I haven't heard a Democrat come up with a good way to salvage the system, besides attacking Bush's idea.

I agree.

[academic punk]

Originally posted by Warham
Don't Democrats around the country have to wonder why their party is thinking of Tom Delay all the time instead of worrying about things that matter, like Social Security?

I haven't heard a Democrat come up with a good way to salvage the system, besides attacking Bush's idea.


Don't Republicans aroudn the country have to wonder why their party is thinking of Terri Schaivo all the time instead of, say, Darfur, or the illegal immigrant situation, the unemployment rate, the healthcrae crisis, the education system, or, heck, how to best tweak the social security system without turning it into a 401K?

I haven't heard a Republican come up with a good way to salvage any of those issues, without attacking Democrats.

[Guitar Shark]

:D

[BigBadBrian]

Originally posted by Guitar Shark
The reasons are numerous, but the most important ones to me are (1) his complete disrespect for the independence of the judiciary; and (2) his hypocrisy with respect to his alleged ethics violations.

The guy is a poor representative for the Republican party. They could do much better.

I couldn't give a hoot in Hell about Tom Delay. If He violated any rules or laws, he should be punished accordingly. However, that sword will eventually cut both ways. It eventually got Nixon, Ted Kennedy, Clinton, and Trent Lott. Who's next? The Witchhunts continue....

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Warham
Don't Republicans around the country have to wonder why their party is thinking of Terry Schiavo all the time instead of worrying about things that matter, like Social Security?

I haven't heard a Republican come up with a good way to salvage the system, besides Bush's shitty idea. ;)

PS: Oops, looks like AC beat me to the joke!:D

[Warham]

Originally posted by academic punk
Don't Republicans aroudn the country have to wonder why their party is thinking of Terri Schaivo all the time instead of, say, Darfur, or the illegal immigrant situation, the unemployment rate, the healthcrae crisis, the education system, or, heck, how to best tweak the social security system without turning it into a 401K?

I haven't heard a Republican come up with a good way to salvage any of those issues, without attacking Democrats.

Which Democrat are Republicans in Congress chasing right now with torches and pitchforks in hand, AP?

[academic punk]

Originally posted by Warham
Which Democrat are Republicans in Congress chasing right now with torches and pitchforks in hand, AP?

You're kidding, right? John Kerry. Barbara Boxer. John Edwards. Hillary Clinton.

Besdies, reread the TITLE of this thread and the initial post: this is about republicans also saying they have serious questions about deLay's ethics/ Once Rick Santorum begins to publicly acknowledge questions re: one of his own - and a higher ranked one at that - you know that somone's shit is stinking mighty bad.

[Warham]

John Edwards and John Kerry?

I haven't heard anything from them of note since last November!

[academic punk]

Edwards has been busy with his wife and her cancer.

Kerry has been around, making a better stand since the election now that he doesn't have to try to groom his image and listen to the DNC strategists losing approach. He's still around, and he's still on the receiving end of the opponents shit-stick.

It's just that it's not the front page anymore, b/c there are more salacious headlines out there.

The same thing applies to Tom DeLay. Of course all of our elected officials are dealing with many, many other matters than the ones that make it to the front page of our favorite tabloids. But are the votes re; bankruptcy reform as exciting to report as the fresh blood of a major politician. It's the old newspaper publishers axiom of "If it bleeds, it leads".

[Warham]

Delay's not going anywhere. That's the bottom line. He hasn't done anything illegal, and the real reason the Democrats are going after blood is because Delay has been productive as a Congressman. Instead of propping their own wounded image, they are trying to cut down the Republicans.

[academic punk]

You're right, he isn't going anywhere.

Of course, six weeks ago he had visions of running for President in '08, but b/c of his violations, that ain't never going to happen now.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Warham
Delay's not going anywhere. That's the bottom line. He hasn't done anything illegal, and the real reason the Democrats are going after blood is because Delay has been productive as a Congressman. Instead of propping their own wounded image, they are trying to cut down the Republicans.

You forgot to mention how the Republicans are trying to conveniently change the rules for the committee investigating ethics violations. If he's done nothing illegal, then what does he have to fear about it being investigated!? In short, the Republicans have become hypocrites betraying the very oath to rid the legislative branch of corruption, a vow that swept them to power.

[Warham]

A power which they will not relinquish!

Mwah ha ha!

:D

[academic punk]

How creepy that you would do the "evil laugh" to defend DeLay. Or do I mean appropriate?

BTW, LOVE the "archbishop of photoshop" line!

[Warham]

Thanks.

I love laughing evil-like just for occasions like this. :D

[academic punk]

Here's the latest:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Republican chairman of the House ethics committee offered on Wednesday to begin an investigation of Majority Leader Tom DeLay to end a stalemate that has kept the panel from functioning this year.

Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Washington, made the proposal at a news conference flanked by three of the four other Republicans on the ethics panel. The evenly divided committee also has five Democrats.

Senior committee Democrat Alan Mollohan of West Virginia quickly rejected the offer, saying his party would continue blocking the panel from operating unless investigative rules imposed by Republicans were changed.

This is the second time in two weeks that Republicans tried to break the deadlock, while Democrats have held their ground and criticized the GOP-written rules for investigating lawmakers, passed in January without Democratic support. Democrats have accused the majority party of writing the rules to protect DeLay.

"The first principle in doing it right is that it be bipartisan," said Mollohan. "That's a beginning point for me."

Mollohan would not say whether he supported an investigation of DeLay, commenting that his effort to change the rules -- to prevent automatic dismissal of cases -- is "totally independent from any specific case."

While Democrats have kept up a stream of accusations of unethical conduct against DeLay, they also have attempted to gain political mileage from the Republican rules.

The primary objection is to a rule that would automatically dismiss cases in a tie vote -- allowing either party on the evenly divided committee to stop an investigation.

DeLay has offered to appear before the committee to defend himself against allegations of misconduct, including his travel with a lobbyist whose clients may have paid for the Texas Republican's foreign travel on several occasions.

DeLay, in a statement, supported Hastings' proposal.

"I've sent letters to the committee asking to appear before the chairman and ranking member to discuss matters," he said. "And for more than a month I've said I hope for a fair process that will afford me the opportunity to get the facts out and set the record straight. I welcome the opportunity to address this with the committee."

The Republicans were "prepared to vote at the earliest opportunity to empanel an investigations subcommittee to review various allegations concerning travel and other actions" by DeLay, Hastings said.

The ethics committee has authority to start an investigation based on information it receives "through public and other sources," he added.

The officially named Committee on Standards of Official conduct was scheduled to meet on Thursday.

The ethics committee admonished DeLay last year on three separate issues but did not find that he violated House rules. A district attorney in Texas is investigating potentially illegal corporate contributions to a Texas political committee started by DeLay.

'Unusual and extraordinary step'
Hastings' comments went well beyond a proposed change in the rules, offering an immediate investigation into one of the most powerful lawmakers in Congress.

"Let me emphasize that this is an unusual and extraordinary step for the committee to take," he said.

He was joined at the news conference by Reps. Judy Biggert of Illinois, Melissa Hart of Pennsylvania and Tom Cole of Oklahoma.

Republican Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas did not attend. Hart would lead any investigation of DeLay, Hastings said.

DeLay and other Republicans have insisted in public comments in recent weeks that the charges against him were partisan, the efforts of a minority desperate to regain power.

At the same time, there has been growing restiveness among members of the GOP rank and file who were unhappy to be on the receiving end of questions about whether they were merely trying to shelter DeLay from harm.

Hastings would not comment on whether he had spoken to DeLay about the proposal -- but he did say he could not speak with a member "about matters that may or may not come before the ethics committee."

The investigation cannot proceed unless Democrats end the stalemate over the rules. Hastings called the proposal "a means by which he (DeLay) can state his case."

Hastings said he would guarantee in writing that Democrats could have three months -- and possibly longer -- for a preliminary investigation of a lawmaker. Hastings promised that no case would be dismissed without a vote of the full committee.

Hastings made a similar offer last week, but not in writing. Mollohan on Wednesday repeated his earlier rejection of that offer, saying it would not prevent the automatic dismissal of cases ---- allowing one party to run out the clock.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/04/20/house.ethics.ap/index.html

[academic punk]

Apr 25...

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/25/politics/25delay.html?hp&ex=1114401600&en=88a357a186e2d1cc&ei=5094&partner=homepage

the wheels of justice move ever so slowly....