Pelosi: Rangel not a terrorist!

It’s hard for a Republican not to enjoy this. Even back in 2006, it was humorous to watch Nancy Pelosi campaign as the woman who would clean up Congress. But watching her defend Charlie Rangel takes the dark humor to new heights — or depths, as the case may be. Hoping to lower the bar by any means necessary, Pelosi said of Rangel’s malfeasance, “It was not something that jeopardized our country in any way.” I must agree. There was no bomb in Rangel’s shorts when he took those free flights to the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, here’s the NY Times’ take on the story, from Relieve the Chairman of his Gavel:

Congressman Charles Rangel was far from humbled after the ethics committee admonished him for taking corporate-paid Caribbean junkets in violation of the House ethics code. Rather, the New York Democrat berated the panel’s leaders on the House floor.

The moment was characteristic of Mr. Rangel’s arrogance throughout the investigation, which continues into more serious allegations about his official behavior. It is one more reason why Speaker Nancy Pelosi — who championed ethics reform — should stop protecting him and relieve him of his crucial role as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee…

This should galvanize the committee to conclude its snail-paced inquiry into Mr. Rangel’s behavior, including: his acceptance of rent-subsidized apartments from a Manhattan real estate developer; his failure to pay taxes on rental income from a villa in the Dominican Republic; and his soliciting of a $1 million donation — to a university center named after him — from a corporation with business before Congress. Mr. Rangel, the House’s designated master of fiscal accountability, already deserves to be stripped of his gavel.

Impressively, Pelosi followed up her unusual defense of Chairman Rangel’s special interests by responding this way to a question about the Tea Partiers:

We [Democrats] share some of the views of the Tea Partiers in terms of the role of special interest in Washington, D.C., as — it just has to stop. And that’s why I’ve fought the special interest[s], whether it’s on energy, whether it’s on health insurance, whether it’s on pharmaceuticals and the rest.

Fight, Nancy, fight!