Friday, October 21, 2005
Daring Tommy
It can be very confusing trying to figure out what Tom Delay means these days. Between he and his lawyer, they've provided us all with a fine example of say one thing but do another. Take, for instance, today's court appearance in Austin, TX. You see, Delay says that he wants a speedy trial, but then he goes and does something like this:
Tommy, Tommy, Tommy... You're not going to get a speedy trial if your lawyer keeps filing motions that cause delays in the proceedings. There's also this whole "I will absolutely be exonerated" thing. If he's so sure that he will be exonerated on what he calls "trumped up charges," why not prove it by appearing before a Democrat judge. If there's nothing to these charges, as Delay and his lawyer have claimed, then I would think that the best way to prove his innocence and rub the prosecution's face in it would be to appear before a Democrat judge in a Democrat-leaning county. So why all the motions and claims of partisanship? If Tommy has really done nothing wrong, as he claims, then this all seems to be completely unnecessary. Yet it's happening.
So what is a person to draw from all of this conflicting behavior? The only thing that makes any sense at all. Tommy's scared shitless. He knows he's in trouble and is hoping to turn this into a political fiasco and paint himself as the victim. It's a tried and true Republican approach. If you don't like the message, smear the messenger. They did it with Dean, they did it with Kerry, they did it with Durbin, they're trying to do it with Ronnie Earle and they'll try to do it with Patrick Fitgerald. What it comes down to is they thought they could get away with it. They thought they were above the law. But much like the Democrats of the early nineties, the fat-cat conservatives that control the congress have gotten fat, drunk and stupid from their power and now they've been caught more than once with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar. But as we all learned from Dean Vernon Wormer, "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."
So come on Tommy... if you're so damned innocent, put your money where your mouth is. Step up to the plate and show us how innocent you are by beating us on our terms. I double-dog dare you.
- Rep. Tom DeLay appeared in court Friday for the first time since indictment, but arraignment on conspiracy and money laundering charges was delayed pending a hearing on his request for a new judge in the politically-charged case.
DeLay, who has stepped aside at least for the time being as House majority leader, did not speak during the brief court session, and was not called on to make a plea.
But at a news conference shortly afterward, he attacked the prosecutor in the case as politically motivated, and said, "I will absolutely be exonerated."
Inside the courtroom, Judge Bob Perkins told defense lawyer Dick DeGuerin that "the best way for me to handle" the request for a new judge would be to defer further proceedings.
[.....]
Apart from seeking a new judge, the congressman's lawyers are asking to have the case moved out of Austin, one of the state's most liberal areas.
Tommy, Tommy, Tommy... You're not going to get a speedy trial if your lawyer keeps filing motions that cause delays in the proceedings. There's also this whole "I will absolutely be exonerated" thing. If he's so sure that he will be exonerated on what he calls "trumped up charges," why not prove it by appearing before a Democrat judge. If there's nothing to these charges, as Delay and his lawyer have claimed, then I would think that the best way to prove his innocence and rub the prosecution's face in it would be to appear before a Democrat judge in a Democrat-leaning county. So why all the motions and claims of partisanship? If Tommy has really done nothing wrong, as he claims, then this all seems to be completely unnecessary. Yet it's happening.
So what is a person to draw from all of this conflicting behavior? The only thing that makes any sense at all. Tommy's scared shitless. He knows he's in trouble and is hoping to turn this into a political fiasco and paint himself as the victim. It's a tried and true Republican approach. If you don't like the message, smear the messenger. They did it with Dean, they did it with Kerry, they did it with Durbin, they're trying to do it with Ronnie Earle and they'll try to do it with Patrick Fitgerald. What it comes down to is they thought they could get away with it. They thought they were above the law. But much like the Democrats of the early nineties, the fat-cat conservatives that control the congress have gotten fat, drunk and stupid from their power and now they've been caught more than once with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar. But as we all learned from Dean Vernon Wormer, "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."
So come on Tommy... if you're so damned innocent, put your money where your mouth is. Step up to the plate and show us how innocent you are by beating us on our terms. I double-dog dare you.
