DeLay Critic Removed From Ethics Committee

Thu Feb 3, 7:55 AM ET

By Richard Simon Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — The House ethics committee chairman who presided over three rebukes of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) was bounced from the job Wednesday and replaced by a Republican congressman from Washington state.

The new chairman is Rep. Doc Hastings, the committee's second-ranking Republican. He was named by House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) to take the gavel from Rep. Joel Hefley (news, bio, voting record) (R-Colo.).

In addition, Hastert appointed three new members to the panel, including two — Reps. Lamar S. Smith (R-Texas) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.) — whose political action committees have contributed to DeLay's legal defense fund. Smith's PAC contributed $5,000 in 2001 and an additional $5,000 between July and September 2004; Cole's gave $5,000 between July and September 2004.

Maybe I read it wrong but the panel which will investigate DeLay will include two people who've contributed to DeLay defense fund. (*cough* conflict of interest *cough*) I'm going to make a wild pediction and say that this panel will find DeLay either innocent or if guilty it will be of something minor.

Kind of ironic or sad depending on your view - an Administration so void of Ethics judging one it's own. Maybe DeLay has too much Ethics.

State of the Union - Selected Excerpts

STATE OF THE UNION

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH'S ADDRESS BEFORE A JOINT SESSION OF THE CONGRESS ON THE STATE OF THE UNION

February 2, 2005

9:10 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, members of Congress, fellow citizens:

As a new Congress gathers, all of us in the elected branches of government share a great privilege: We've been placed in office by the votes of the people we serve. And tonight that is a privilege we share with newly-elected leaders of Afghanistan, the Palestinian Territories, Ukraine, and a free and sovereign Iraq. (Applause.)

"You'd better applause because dissent is NOT tolerated in this Administration. And if it looks like I'm taking credit for Palestine and Ukraine then tough if you disagree."

Two weeks ago, I stood on the steps of this Capitol and renewed the commitment of our nation to the guiding ideal of liberty for all. This evening I will set forth policies to advance that ideal at home and around the world.

Tonight, with a healthy, growing economy, with more Americans going back to work, with our nation an active force for good in the world -- the state of our union is confident and strong. (Applause.)

"Just ignore that I have extraordinarily low approval ratings and that half the nation doesn't like me." Half the country dislikes you George because you're a smug, untalented Leader with delusions of grandeur dangerously surrounded by toadies and Yes-people.

Our generation has been blessed -- by the expansion of opportunity, by advances in medicine, by the security purchased by our parents' sacrifice. Now, as we see a little gray in the mirror -- or a lot of gray -- (laughter) -- and we watch our children moving into adulthood, we ask the question: What will be the state of their union? Members of Congress, the choices we make together will answer that question. Over the next several months, on issue after issue, let us do what Americans have always done, and build a better world for our children and our grandchildren. (Applause.)

First, we must be good stewards of this economy, and renew the great institutions on which millions of our fellow citizens rely. America's economy is the fastest growing of any major industrialized nation. In the past four years, we provided tax relief to every person who pays income taxes, overcome a recession, opened up new markets abroad, prosecuted corporate criminals, raised homeownership to its highest level in history, and in the last year alone, the United States has added 2.3 million new jobs. (Applause.) When action was needed, the Congress delivered -- and the nation is grateful.

Note the phrase "renew the great institutions", does he mean Social Security?

Now we must add to these achievements. By making our economy more flexible, more innovative, and more competitive, we will keep America the economic leader of the world. (Applause.)

America's prosperity requires restraining the spending appetite of the federal government. I welcome the bipartisan enthusiasm for spending discipline. I will send you a budget that holds the growth of discretionary spending below inflation, makes tax relief permanent, and stays on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009. (Applause.) My budget substantially reduces or eliminates more than 150 government programs that are not getting results, or duplicate current efforts, or do not fulfill essential priorities. The principle here is clear: Taxpayer dollars must be spent wisely, or not at all. (Applause.)

And he's asking how much for Iraq?!? Monies that to date have no accountability, no tracking. This is restraint?!? Essentially he wants to destroy Government except those pet Departments and projects. Faith-based programs? Give 'em money. Military? Give 'em money. Health? Education? Screw 'em.

To make our economy stronger and more dynamic, we must prepare a rising generation to fill the jobs of the 21st century. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, standards are higher, test scores are on the rise, and we're closing the achievement gap for minority students. Now we must demand better results from our high schools, so every high school diploma is a ticket to success. We will help an additional 200,000 workers to get training for a better career, by reforming our job training system and strengthening America's community colleges. And we'll make it easier for Americans to afford a college education, by increasing the size of Pell Grants. (Applause.)

Test scores are higher because teachers are teaching the test and not how to think in a critical manner. His No Child Left Behind is still underfunded. Hmmm, what better training for a young person THAN IN THE MILITARY!!!

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To keep our economy growing, we also need reliable supplies of affordable, environmentally responsible energy. (Applause.) Nearly four years ago, I submitted a comprehensive energy strategy that encourages conservation, alternative sources, a modernized electricity grid, and more production here at home -- including safe, clean nuclear energy. (Applause.) My Clear Skies legislation will cut power plant pollution and improve the health of our citizens. (Applause.) And my budget provides strong funding for leading-edge technology -- from hydrogen-fueled cars, to clean coal, to renewable sources such as ethanol. (Applause.) Four years of debate is enough: I urge Congress to pass legislation that makes America more secure and less dependent on foreign energy. (Applause.)

So why have you opened up protected areas for oil drilling? Oil is NOT a renewable, environmentally responsible energy source.

Heads up, here comes the attack on Social Security..

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So here is the result: Thirteen years from now, in 2018, Social Security will be paying out more than it takes in. And every year afterward will bring a new shortfall, bigger than the year before. For example, in the year 2027, the government will somehow have to come up with an extra $200 billion to keep the system afloat -- and by 2033, the annual shortfall would be more than $300 billion. By the year 2042, the entire system would be exhausted and bankrupt. If steps are not taken to avert that outcome, the only solutions would be dramatically higher taxes, massive new borrowing, or sudden and severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other government programs.

If we were NOT to approve any more money for Iraq and instead invested it now in t-bills then there'd be plenty for Social Security...

And exactly how did you come up with these nightmare numbersm Georgy?

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Here's why the personal accounts are a better deal. Your money will grow, over time, at a greater rate than anything the current system can deliver -- and your account will provide money for retirement over and above the check you will receive from Social Security. In addition, you'll be able to pass along the money that accumulates in your personal account, if you wish, to your children and -- or grandchildren. And best of all, the money in the account is yours, and the government can never take it away. (Applause.)

Except we're not a nation of savers. We're a nation of people living off of credit, frequently living beyond their means. The pressure to spend and consume is enormous and persistent. Save a grand for retirement or buy the new high-def TV?

Worse, the monies in the personal account if invested poorly will disappear, forever. There's no guarantee of security. At least, with Social Security something is there. Finally, (and I just thought this up) aren't retirement accounts considered assets and thus seizable if on the losing side of a lawsuit?

The goal here is greater security in retirement, so we will set careful guidelines for personal accounts. We'll make sure the money can only go into a conservative mix of bonds and stock funds. We'll make sure that your earnings are not eaten up by hidden Wall Street fees. We'll make sure there are good options to protect your investments from sudden market swings on the eve of your retirement. We'll make sure a personal account cannot be emptied out all at once, but rather paid out over time, as an addition to traditional Social Security benefits. And we'll make sure this plan is fiscally responsible, by starting personal retirement accounts gradually, and raising the yearly limits on contributions over time, eventually permitting all workers to set aside four percentage points of their payroll taxes in their accounts.

If this brain-dead idea of Bush passes, invest in brokerage firms.

Time to attack marriage, abortion, ...

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Our second great responsibility to our children and grandchildren is to honor and to pass along the values that sustain a free society. So many of my generation, after a long journey, have come home to family and faith, and are determined to bring up responsible, moral children. Government is not the source of these values, but government should never undermine them.

Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges. For the good of families, children, and society, I support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage. (Applause.)

Uhhh, but isn't that Government defining a morality based on a set of religious values?

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Because one of the main sources of our national unity is our belief in equal justice, we need to make sure Americans of all races and backgrounds have confidence in the system that provides justice. In America we must make doubly sure no person is held to account for a crime he or she did not commit -- so we are dramatically expanding the use of DNA evidence to prevent wrongful conviction. (Applause.) Soon I will send to Congress a proposal to fund special training for defense counsel in capital cases, because people on trial for their lives must have competent lawyers by their side. (Applause.)

Unless your name is DeLay, Rumsfeld, Rice, Cheney, Bush...

Our third responsibility to future generations is to leave them an America that is safe from danger, and protected by peace. We will pass along to our children all the freedoms we enjoy -- and chief among them is freedom from fear.

WHAT?!? Freedom from fear?!? The only way that'll happen is if the entire Bush Administration resigned en masse. The Bush Administration is nothing but about fear: Iraq will use their WMDs ANY MOMENT. We must invade. Social Security will run out 35 years from now. Let's trash it now. Gay people might prove decent parents if they got married and rasied kids. Let's have a Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriages. Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt. It worked for Microsoft. It's working for the U.S. Government.

In the three and a half years since September the 11th, 2001, we have taken unprecedented actions to protect Americans. We've created a new department of government to defend our homeland, focused the FBI on preventing terrorism, begun to reform our intelligence agencies, broken up terror cells across the country, expanded research on defenses against biological and chemical attack, improved border security, and trained more than a half-million first responders. Police and firefighters, air marshals, researchers, and so many others are working every day to make our homeland safer, and we thank them all. (Applause.)

Our nation, working with allies and friends, has also confronted the enemy abroad, with measures that are determined, successful, and continuing. The al Qaeda terror network that attacked our country still has leaders -- but many of its top commanders have been removed. There are still governments that sponsor and harbor terrorists -- but their number has declined. There are still regimes seeking weapons of mass destruction -- but no longer without attention and without consequence. Our country is still the target of terrorists who want to kill many, and intimidate us all -- and we will stay on the offensive against them, until the fight is won. (Applause.)

Pursuing our enemies is a vital commitment of the war on terror -- and I thank the Congress for providing our servicemen and women with the resources they have needed. During this time of war, we must continue to support our military and give them the tools for victory. (Applause.)

Just don't mention the name bin Laden. Note the phrase "regimes seeking weapons of mass destruction". Didn't Bush and Crew tell us repeatedly that Iraq HAD WMDs? Now you're guilty if you merely seek them but if our intelligence had problems proving ownership how will they prove intent?

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In the long-term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by eliminating the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of murder. If whole regions of the world remain in despair and grow in hatred, they will be the recruiting grounds for terror, and that terror will stalk America and other free nations for decades. The only force powerful enough to stop the rise of tyranny and terror, and replace hatred with hope, is the force of human freedom. (Applause.) Our enemies know this, and that is why the terrorist Zarqawi recently declared war on what he called the "evil principle" of democracy. And we've declared our own intention: America will stand with the allies of freedom to support democratic movements in the Middle East and beyond, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world. (Applause.)

The United States has no right, no desire, and no intention to impose our form of government on anyone else. That is one of the main differences between us and our enemies. They seek to impose and expand an empire of oppression, in which a tiny group of brutal, self-appointed rulers control every aspect of every life. Our aim is to build and preserve a community of free and independent nations, with governments that answer to their citizens, and reflect their own cultures. And because democracies respect their own people and their neighbors, the advance of freedom will lead to peace. (Applause.)

WHAT?!? You called for invasion of Iraq based on lies. The ends do not justify the means. The invasion would have been far more successful if you had pursued and gotten bin Laden first. That'd given the inspectors more time in Iraq, the assassins more time to infiltrate...could have saved us $250 BILLION. Hell, Hussein may have actually bought a WMD by then.

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Thank you, and may God bless America. (Applause.)

God really blessed us with you. Any more blessings and we'll be back using stone tools.

Folks, in a nutshell, Bush will be more of same but worse, because he's convinced that whatever he does is right. More money will sink into the Iraq blackhole and don't think we're leaving there any time soon. More saber rattling and posturing, likely towards Iran.

If Iraq proved anything it's that the myth of invincible American Military has severe weaknesses, namely superior technology can be countered with determination and guile like in Vietnam. The terrorists would love to have us invade Iran and Syria, spread us out even more and provide them with more fodder for propaganda and to train their followers. As long as the U.S. continues its policy of Peace through Conquest without any significant help from other MAJOR countries then our Military remains vulnerable in the Middle East.