Paul Ryan, fraud: The Tom DeLay edition

After getting their asses handed to them in the '06 elections, Republicans are striving mightily to suggest they lost seats because they had strayed-- seduced by the spending ways of Warshington DC -- from their conservative values. But not to worry -- they've regained that old time religion.

Paul Ryan is the public face -- and hair -- of that revivalist movement.

That it's a BS argument goes without saying. And Paul Ryan demonstrates this in virtually every paragraph of an oped that appeared under his name in Sunday's Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel.

The Brawler touched on the deceptive way Ryan frames the Schiavo matter.

But Ryan also attempts to rewrite his stance on another Republican scandal: His defense of Tom DeLay. As you may recall, Republicans voted to change House ethics rules to protect the very bad DeLay.

Here's how Ryan talks about DeLay now:

Similarly, voters held Republicans accountable for cases of corruption, most notably law-breaking by former Reps. Randy Cunningham and Bob Ney, as well as impropriety - at the very least - by former Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

Such courage in denouncing Republican corruption! Yet how did Ryan address this issue back in 2005, when speaking out on such an issue would have made a difference?

From the 4/18/05 Journal Sentinel:

Petri and Janesville's Paul Ryan said most Republicans had rallied behind DeLay because he was under fire in the media and from across the aisle. Ryan said many GOP lawmakers view Democratic attacks and investigative stories on DeLay as an effort to "lynch him politically."

"Tom is a very effective majority leader. If he did anything wrong, then he should go. If he broke a law or House ethics rule, he shouldn't be leader. But no one is even alleging that right now," Ryan said.

"I will not form my opinions based on articles in the newspaper and press releases from the Democratic National Committee. I will form my opinions based on a bipartisan investigation of the ethics committee as to whether or not Tom DeLay broke any law or any House ethics rule," Ryan said.

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Ryan, like Green and Sensenbrenner, defended the ethics changes. He said they prevent "partisan witch hunts."

"The Democrats have announced their political game plan is to start an ethics war," said Ryan.

Ryan also said that DeLay's critics were exaggerating his influence as part of a strategy to drive him from leadership.

"He doesn't run the party. He's the majority leader and he schedules legislation," Ryan said. "President Bush, (Senate Majority Leader) Bill Frist and (House Speaker) Denny Hastert are the ones that set the agenda for the party, not Tom DeLay. They're over- hyping his role and what he does."

Ryan and his supporters like to describe him as a true fiscal conservative whose virtue was overwhelmed by the corruption in his own party. Yet these quotes demonstrate, amply, he was a whore just like the rest. And one who thinks the public is stupid -- "Tom DeLay powerful? Naw, he's not powerful at all!" Please.

A question for Paul: Why should voters trust a man, or a party, that constantly lies about the past?

Comments

[EddyPo]

It was an interesting "debate" about conservatism in the Crossroads section Sunday. Three writers (Kersten, Ryan, McIl-Nuts) were arguing which one of them loves conservatism best. Then they top it off with another "Quick Hit" attack on liberals by Reader Advisory Committee member Jennifer Krueger (for some balance I assume). It's getting harder to read that rag.