Anyone else not a bit worried about the rehash of ABSCAM (via Murtha)?

[Montauk6]

I say fine, GOP, Freepers and The Machine; shoot yer best shot.

Of course, this should allow us to go for BCCI, Keating, Watergate, and Contragate (hey, let's face it, if Pappy Bush's capos are stepping in, you know there's gonna be some taint in the wind).

Then, for dessert, we can dig back into 9/11, the Bush-Bin Laden connection, the secret Cheney energy sitdowns, tear open the books on Haliburton, REALLY investigate voter fraud in 00 and 04.

Hell, they can bring back Wilbur Mills and Fannie Fox for all I care! I'm just sayin...

[acmavm]

1. See, I agree with you. This is the party that (by some factions)

is pushing McCain for President. And he was guilty as sin, no ifs, ands, or buts.

[Parisle]

2. Yes, ABSCAM worries me,....

---- And so does the old bribery case against Alcee Hastings. Democrats have to be SQUEAKY CLEAN,....... PERIOD. This is not an instance of "tit-for-tat" dueling corruption charges,.. even if the democrats are way behind the republicans in volume culpability. Many of the things you mentioned,... Halliburton and Cheney's Energy Panel,... need to be investigated ANYWAY. There are no trade-offs, nor should there be. If I was a democratic legislator, and knew of a colleague breaking the rules or the law, I'd get rid of them, personally. No warnings, no discussion with higher-ups,... they would be gone.

[Montauk6]

3. But, wasn't Murtha CLEARED of charges? Didn't he turn down the bribes?

I honestly don't know, that's why I'm asking. If yes to both of these, well I guess that's really my point. Let them try to drudge up (sic) accusations that were already refuted; there's still plenty of dirty drawers in their hamper. And if there is corruption on our end, ABSOLUTELY we've gotta weed it out.

[Parisle]

7. Murtha was not charged,....

----But his on-tape performance left much to be desired....... you know,.. not guilty according to the letter of the law,.. but still not beyond question. It's worrisome, eh?

[Montauk6]

9. Again, I don't know, what did he do exactly?

If he's having a conversation with these guys and they at some point drop the bribe-bomb but he ultimately turns them down, is that wrong?

Of course, if, perhaps, by solely the mere fact that he was APPROACHABLE to begin with, his being in the room is an indiscretion, then, OK, yeah, it's a problem.

[Gman]

4. Voters in Murtha's district had a chance last week

to say something about it and didn't. Therefore, no big deal. No one else has a vote in his election.

[wyldwolf]

5. Well, I'm not worried they'll find anything damning on Murtha... but...

...that isn't the goal. The goal is to raise the stink of corruption.

[sampsonblk]

6. I think there's a tape

That's the real problem.

[GOPS Worst Fear]

8. Wasn't John Mccain Involved too?

just wondering..

[Igel]

10. No.

The answer to a 25-year-old charge is humility. Many repubs and dems lack it utterly, but I've not noticed that Americans dislike humility or punish people for its moderate application. The utter lack of humility is usually arrogance and hubris. We've seen enough of that in my no-longer-brief lifetime.

The allegations date to 25 years ago. People can change in 25 years. Moreover, "party-level" guilt is difficult since it usually relies on McCarthy-ite reasoning. And old party-level guilt is an ever harder card to play since so many of the people that make up the party's public persona are routinely replaced in the course of 25 years.