The More Things Change...

Man, the ethical wasteland that is Congress was supposed to get better under the Democrats, with promised earmark reform. Apparently, they may have meant it would eventually get better...

Remember right after the November elections when the Senate’s longtime “King of Pork,” Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., promised an “earmark moratorium” on 2007 spending? The moratorium was supposed to give the new Democratic majority time to pass the promised legislation that would shine needed light on the thousands of anonymous spending measures slipped into bills by senators and congressmen. Since Byrd was about to become Appropriations Committee chairman and was well-known for directing billions of dollars in earmarks to his home state, the moratorium was seen by many congressional reformers as an encouraging sign.

Now we find that not only has the moratorium on 2007 spending bill earmarks been forgotten, senators are in the process of larding up 2008 bills as well. Both the Senate and the House have passed earmark reforms, but the Democratic leadership in both chambers is taking its time in resolving differences between the two measures.

(hat tip: Instapundit) I repeat what I said last week -- throw the SOBs out, by re-structuring the system with term limits. We don't need another Robert Byrd after this one eventually leaves.

The John Kerry Post of the Day

My latest discovery about my favorite cheese-eating surrendermonkey-looking Ketchup King cum former Presidential candidate:

I'll let Jim Geraghty at the Hillary Spot describe Kerry's run-in with 9/11 conspiracy wackjobs the other day...

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a major leader of one of the two parties to tell these folks they're full of baloney. But Kerry didn't quite do that.

One cited some professor who was allegedly "forced into retirement" who, the questioner claimed, tested the dust at ground zero and found chemical compounds that proved a controlled demolition

Kerry responds, "That's a new one to me... Obviously I'm open to anything that's based on fact and evidence, and if somebody has evidence, I'll take a look at it." (I note Kerry's expression seems appropriately skeptical.)

Then as a questioner goes on about genetically modified food, the use of depleted uranium in Iraq, and "chemtrails over major U.S. cities," and Kerry keeps nodding, I presume because he doesn't want to get into it with that guy.

Then the guy asks John Kerry about whether there's ever been a formal investigation of Building 7 being "brought down" by demolitions crews on September 11, 2001, and World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein.

It's not quite as bad as the conspiracy theorists claim, that Kerry "confirmed" that it was brought down. But it's not quite a "oh, please." Kerry says:

"I don't believe there's been a formal investigation. I haven't heard that, I don't know that. I do know that, uh, that wall, I remember, was in danger, and I think that they made a decision based on the danger, that it had of destroying other things that they did it in a controlled fashion.

Uh, you know, he's part of the construction, reconstruction effort, the memorial, the use of the land, etcetera. There's been a long tug of war going on in New York, I am not following every aspect of it... but I'll check what the story is. I'll take a look at it, based on what you said. You are the first people, anywhere in the country, who have brought this to my attention.

The guy claims that the 9/11 Commission Report didn't even address WTC 7, and Kerry says, "Let me find out about it, I don't know enough about it, it's not in our book, etcetera, and if you go to the back of the book, folks, you'll find a whole listing of web sites..."

Theresa Heinz Kerry seems to roll her eyes at the guy as he finishes his question.

Kerry didn't concede anything about a conspiracy, but he seemed to agree that Building Seven of the World Trade Center was brought down by authorities as a safety precaution.

Now we know, more than ever, why John McCain didn't want to run with Kerry. McCain would have told the conspiracy theorists to go back to living in their parents' basement, and that's if McCain was in a good mood.