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You are here: Home / First Out of the Gate

First Out of the Gate

by John Cole|  November 29, 20103:56 pm| 49 Comments

This post is in: Assholes, DC Press Corpse, Our Failed Media Experiment

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In case you were wondering which of the beltway boys would be the first to rush to the defense of Tom DeLay, the wait is over. Those of you who had your money on Fred Hiatt’s op-ed page win once again.

Don’t even bother looking for a comparable editorial dedicated to Don Siegalman.

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49Comments

  1. 1.

    eemom

    November 29, 2010 at 4:00 pm

    no, dude, that is an EDitorial, not an op-ed. That is the Hiatt himself.

    iow, it is the OFFICIAL WaPo position to defend an ultrasleazebag like DeLay.

  2. 2.

    Ross Hershberger

    November 29, 2010 at 4:04 pm

    Took them long enough. Is their support for this crook weakening?

  3. 3.

    dollared

    November 29, 2010 at 4:06 pm

    Fred had to do it himself because the money wasn’t from either a defense contractor or AIPAC. If it had been, he would have had to put the right to defend them up for auction, just to prevent a stampede.

  4. 4.

    Punchy

    November 29, 2010 at 4:07 pm

    OT:
    /ducks Cole’s certain bitchslap for the quick OT

    You’ve got to be kidding me. What’s next….radios and air conditioners?

    From a guy who can: do a crossword puzzle, text, check espn scores, set fantasy lineup, and change AM sports talk stations, sing, and count money all simultaneously while driving 70mph+, this is bullshit.

  5. 5.

    Mike Kay (Team America)

    November 29, 2010 at 4:11 pm

    Don’t be so hard on Delay, it’s not like he did something horrible like get a blow job, he only laundered bribe money.

  6. 6.

    themann1086

    November 29, 2010 at 4:17 pm

    Isn’t it called Fred Hiatt’s Crayon Scribbling Page or some such?

  7. 7.

    Ash Can

    November 29, 2010 at 4:18 pm

    @Mike Kay (Team America):

    it’s not like he did something horrible like get a blow job be a Democrat

    What Fred Hiatt would like to say.

  8. 8.

    Pococurante

    November 29, 2010 at 4:18 pm

    Whatever. When do we get to start mocking Sullivan’s latest smear attempt to ride on Glodblog’s coattails!

  9. 9.

    arguingwithsignposts

    November 29, 2010 at 4:21 pm

    @Punchy:
    that is seriously messed up.

  10. 10.

    Mike Goetz

    November 29, 2010 at 4:21 pm

    Every day and in every way, I am getting angrier and angrier!

    Seriously, does every post on every blog have to shake me by the lapels and insist I get outraged over something?

  11. 11.

    slag

    November 29, 2010 at 4:23 pm

    I admire the fortitude of those who were able to click that link. In the name of science: How did it feel? Was it more peeling-the-skin-off-your-living-flesh painful or just basic knee-to-the-midsection painful?

  12. 12.

    jl

    November 29, 2010 at 4:24 pm

    The second paragraph is a beautiful piece of work.

    After conceding that DeLay violated election laws, and that the courts rejected some, and accepted other charges as appropriate, Hiatt settles it all with

    “In Texas, as elsewhere, money-laundering is defined as knowingly using “the proceeds of criminal activity,” such as cash from drug deals.”

    I think he needs a cite for that one. The whole argument rests on Hiatt’s hack interpretation of money laundering means.

    Was Hiatt in the Salon Hack 30? I guess he wasn’t since he is not a columnist, but he just fits in so well, seems to me just like he was there. Wuzzee?

    But what do you expect? Texas state law, and state courts and jurors are such politically correct liberals, after all. Obama probably orchestrated it.

  13. 13.

    jl

    November 29, 2010 at 4:25 pm

    @slag: It was funny. Ha ha funny. To me. Is what it was.

  14. 14.

    WarMunchkin

    November 29, 2010 at 4:29 pm

    @slag: The last couple days observing politics and news have felt like all of the above. How do you people survive ._.

  15. 15.

    jl

    November 29, 2010 at 4:30 pm

    @Mike Goetz: I took it as a public service announcement for the blog’s readership. I’m sure readers had bets on it.

  16. 16.

    trollhattan

    November 29, 2010 at 4:31 pm

    Hearing of Delay’s conviction I found myself flabbergasted that anybody could run afoul of campaign donation laws in a state as bidnez- friendly philic as Texas. Rare combination of stupidity and hubris in that one.

    Oh, and FYWAPO very much.

  17. 17.

    arunatomics

    November 29, 2010 at 4:36 pm

    @jl:

    Yep, he starts off by conceding that Delay broke the law. And unfortunately for the rest of the metro area, he keeps writing.

    “But what do you expect? Texas state law, and state courts and jurors are such politically correct liberals, after all. Obama probably orchestrated it.” Indeed.

  18. 18.

    Mike Goetz

    November 29, 2010 at 4:40 pm

    @jl:

    Yeah, sorry about that. It’s just that I haven’t finshed choking with fury that government accountants won’t be getting their raises this year.

  19. 19.

    slag

    November 29, 2010 at 4:40 pm

    @jl: Hmmm…Interesting. I wonder if that editorial would have been more tragedy than comedy had Delay not been convicted. Knowing the ending probably does make a difference in these circumstances.

    But then again, Obama did give his first presidential interview to the Kaplan press. Which, in my view, definitely brings tragedy back into the running.

    Curious. But still not curious enough to click the link.

  20. 20.

    Zifnab

    November 29, 2010 at 4:46 pm

    This was a clear end run around the Texas election law. It is less clear, however, that this behavior fits the definition of money-laundering or should be prosecuted and punished using that criminal offense.

    Only in Fred Hiatt land does the conviction of a Congressman for money-laundering while funneling money in an end run around state election laws leave the behavior “less clear” in it’s legality.

    Let’s see. Was it tried as a crime? Yup. Was it successfully prosecuted as a crime? Yup. Did the jury render a guilty verdict? Yup.

    So then how, on the Sweet Baby Jesus’s Beautiful Green Earth, do you maintain the specter of doubt as to DeLay’s guilt? If Tom is bemoaning the “criminalization of politics” perhaps he should first address the issue of crimes being committed while holding office.

  21. 21.

    jwb

    November 29, 2010 at 4:46 pm

    @jl: Given that almost the entire roster of WaPo columnists was part of the Hack 30, I think we have to give Hiatt credit for being Boss Hack.

  22. 22.

    John O

    November 29, 2010 at 4:49 pm

    @WarMunchkin:

    You must be new. It requires an enormous amount of intestinal fortitude to follow politics in the USA.

    Plus, my own observation is that bloggers and those who read them aren’t exactly the mentally healthiest bunch, exceptions notwithstanding, like everyone who blogs here, of course. ;-)

  23. 23.

    Zifnab

    November 29, 2010 at 4:50 pm

    @Punchy:

    From a guy who can: do a crossword puzzle, text, check espn scores, set fantasy lineup, and change AM sports talk stations, sing, and count money all simultaneously while driving 70mph+, this is bullshit.

    What state do you live in? So long as you’ve still got your license, I would like to avoid it.

  24. 24.

    Mike Kay (Team America)

    November 29, 2010 at 4:55 pm

    Has Fred Hiatt/WaPo issued an editorial asking everyone to give Charles Rangel a break?

  25. 25.

    catclub

    November 29, 2010 at 4:55 pm

    @Punchy:
    I like insurance approaches.

    Insurance company tells you: if we determine you were using cell phone in any way during an accident – we don’t pay.
    Not injury, not liability, not repairs.

    I think a lot of people would be motivated to stop.

    I always wonder why they did not do this for alcohol use as well. I think the reason is that the company that does not have that policy will eat their lunch – it can cover far more people for slightly more cost. Also, they may fear that too many people in the class that they consider good risks – white upper middle class and higher – does what they would be outlawing. Being able to imagine oneself as the drunk driver – or cell phone user – tends to limit the vigor of responses to it.

    I can already imagine a perfectly safe driver on the phone being hit by a random idiot and having the insurance company not cover.

  26. 26.

    Catsy

    November 29, 2010 at 4:58 pm

    @Punchy: You have got to be shitting me.

    First of all, it’s a proposal from someone who clearly does not understand the underlying technology–or the industry–as well as they think they do. Whoever came up with this idea has no place working in government. Or for that matter operating a motor vehicle and breathing without mechanical assistance. They’re going to mandate disabling cell phones in cars… how, exactly?

    And what about the passengers? Are they blocked too? What about GPS applications in smartphones?

    That won’t work, said Atchley. Most of these services are voluntary. It is not difficult for users to either not activate them, or to work around them.

    This is the key graf here. This will never happen.

    If after 30 years of anti-drunk PR campaigns and the near-universal stigmatization of driving while intoxicated they can’t even manage to mandate breathalyzer ignition interlocks, there’s no way they’re going to pull this one off.

    And if by some miracle they do, the technology will disappear with the first class action suit from anyone whose passenger can’t make an emergency call while the driver is completely focused on the road.

    Just, wow. That really is in the running for one of the most retarded and ill-considered brainfarts of the year.

  27. 27.

    geg6

    November 29, 2010 at 4:59 pm

    @Zifnab:

    Gee, I wonder if Fred Hiatt has any proposals for, perhaps, ways for reviewing the evidence into whether or not Delay’s actions were legal or illegal under the money laundering laws? Maybe even an body of unbiased citizens who might decided if that was the case? And perhaps a disinterested person who would preside over that body, explain the laws and how the body of unbiased citizens might determine whether or not they were broken, and who might, if it is determined that Delay had broken the law, determine the punishment meted out?

    I’m sure if Hiatt thinks REAL HARD, he might come up with a solution to his conundrum of not being able to determine whether or not Delay broke any laws.

  28. 28.

    Fuck! A Duck

    November 29, 2010 at 5:01 pm

    Hey, I think that people should be able to text while driving, as long as I get to try and pick them off with a .357 while I am driving.

  29. 29.

    Catsy

    November 29, 2010 at 5:02 pm

    @Zifnab:

    What state do you live in? So long as you’ve still got your license, I would like to avoid it.

    Or, since it is self-evidently physically impossible for a person to be doing all of those things at once, perhaps you’d like to take this for the hyperbole-for-effect that it was and address the actual point that was being made.

  30. 30.

    JGabriel

    November 29, 2010 at 5:03 pm

    John Cole:

    Don’t even bother looking for a comparable editorial dedicated to Don Siegalman.

    Or Charlie Rangel.

    .

  31. 31.

    jwb

    November 29, 2010 at 5:04 pm

    @Mike Kay (Team America): Why would he do that? Villagers know that Dems are inherently corrupt. Besides they don’t generally control multimillion dollar advertising accounts or corporate accounts for buying off columnists bringing in guest speakers.

  32. 32.

    drkrick

    November 29, 2010 at 5:05 pm

    @geg6: Since a system much like the one you describe convicted Delay, it’s obviously unacceptable. Apparently IOKIYAR is a law of nature in Fredworld.

  33. 33.

    El Cid

    November 29, 2010 at 5:08 pm

    Look, just because something’s illegal it doesn’t mean you can’t legally do it. If you’re the right person.

  34. 34.

    Catsy

    November 29, 2010 at 5:11 pm

    @JGabriel:

    Or Charlie Rangel.

    Really, really bad example.

    Rangel, at a minimum, ran afoul of Congressional ethics rules, has behaved like a first-class douche throughout the whole mess, and has finally acknowledged some of his wrongdoing and been held accountable. He’s probably not as bad as the wingnuts are making him out, but his hands aren’t exactly clean either.

    Siegelman has been the target of a Repubilcan-orchestrated abuse of the criminal justice system that has destroyed his life and career and incarcerated him with nothing but the most superficial charade of due process.

    What happened to Rangel was accountability through the Congressional ethics process.

    What happened to Siegelman is a crime for which a number of people–including Karl Rove–ought to rightfully be behind bars.

  35. 35.

    dollared

    November 29, 2010 at 5:11 pm

    @ el Cid

    Look, just because something’s illegal it doesn’t mean you can’t legally do it. If you’re the right wing person

    Fixed.

  36. 36.

    Zifnab

    November 29, 2010 at 5:17 pm

    @Catsy:

    perhaps you’d like to take this for the hyperbole-for-effect that it was and address the actual point that was being made.

    Very well. Punchy is a self-admitted reckless driver who is throwing a hissy fit because mom might take away his keys if she catches him rear ending her Mercedes and blaming it on the mail man. Since mom found out Punchy’s screen name, he’s got to use the code-word “the government” in place of hers, so he doesn’t get in any more trouble.

    The market for parental controls on cell phones is non-trivial. Combine this with anti-government paranoia over a Nanny-state, and you get bullshit articles like this. An idealic bureaucrat mentions something on his wish list and the media treats it like it’s a bill on the President’s desk waiting for a signature.

  37. 37.

    Pangloss

    November 29, 2010 at 5:25 pm

    My favorite is still Peggy Noonan’s misty-eyed lament that Ken Lay “died of a broken heart” only months after she advocated that post-Katrina looters with bottled water should be “shot on sight.”

  38. 38.

    ant

    November 29, 2010 at 5:26 pm

    That transportation guy, LaHood, he is an idiot.

    Remember him wanting to track everybody’s car, and set up a whole new deal to tax by the mile?

    Time for that guy to spend some more time with his family.

  39. 39.

    Ross Hershberger

    November 29, 2010 at 5:29 pm

    I wonder how long IOKIYAR will go on before it’s generally noticed that a Texan jaywalking with a joint in his pocket will do more time than a politician who laundered illegal political contributions, flipped the legislature and fraudulently redistricted to lock his party in power.
    No, actually I don’t wonder. Because that’s a lot of words and two different ideas so people will ignore it. Never mind.

  40. 40.

    David Hunt

    November 29, 2010 at 5:49 pm

    @geg6:

    In Texas, I believe that the jury usually determines punishment from a range set by statute (x to y years for a Class A Felony, etc). This is what I got out of the briefing the one of the times that I went through the selection process for jury duty. I’ve never had to serve on a jury, however, so I can’t say for certain.

    That nit I’m picking doesn’t detract from the biting value of your satire, however.

  41. 41.

    Dennis G.

    November 29, 2010 at 5:53 pm

    @Mike Kay (Team America):
    All he did was launder money from Chinese sweatshop owners through front groups and then through other front groups and then to Texas.

    He follow the same money laundering path with money from Russian Oligarchs. Jack Abramoff helped to move millions of dollars to DeLay and the GOP this way. Jack trained an army of other lobbyists to do the same–and they did. Fred may have missed the articles, but this was fully reported by real reporters at the Washington Post.

    It was all illegal when Tom and Jack did it, but now-a-days it has all been made retroactively legal by the Radical Roberts Court. Their Citizen United decision and their weakening the Honest Services Fraud laws are gifts to grifters everywhere.

    No surprise that Fred was first out of the gate to defend Tom, he is just preconditioned to licking DeLay’s ass and fluffing the latest memes of wingnutopia.

  42. 42.

    Zifnab

    November 29, 2010 at 6:05 pm

    @geg6:

    Maybe even an body of unbiased citizens who might decided if that was the case? And perhaps a disinterested person who would preside over that body, explain the laws and how the body of unbiased citizens might determine whether or not they were broken, and who might, if it is determined that Delay had broken the law, determine the punishment meted out?

    Sounds like a bunch of socialist gibberish to me.

  43. 43.

    Zifnab

    November 29, 2010 at 6:07 pm

    @geg6:

    Maybe even an body of unbiased citizens who might decided if that was the case? And perhaps a disinterested person who would preside over that body, explain the laws and how the body of unbiased citizens might determine whether or not they were broken, and who might, if it is determined that Delay had broken the law, determine the punishment meted out?

    Sounds like a bunch of soci alist gibberish to me.

  44. 44.

    Zifnab

    November 29, 2010 at 6:13 pm

    @ant:

    That transportation guy, LaHood, he is an idiot.

    He’s inventive and he’s not afraid to voice an idea outside the mainstream. God forbid the guy have an opinion not officially sanctioned by a media organization or government think tank.

    An odometer tax was proposed in the face of rising gas mileage, since the current gas tax isn’t nearly enough to cover the cost of road maintenance and expansion. Cell-phone disablers already exist, and are available for purchase by concerned parents nationwide.

    And while some of us would happily plow our cars into a school bus full of nuns and adorable orphan school children if it would protect our precious Freedom! to send YouTube links to our internet buddies, the head of the Department of Transportation actually has to give a damn about the causes and solutions to roadway fatalities.

  45. 45.

    Mr Furious

    November 29, 2010 at 6:15 pm

    So the only remaining question is whether the NY Times will license Hiatt’s Editorial outright (a la Wikileaks) or write one of their very own…

  46. 46.

    D-Chance.

    November 29, 2010 at 6:24 pm

    One last TSA note… take it away, failblog.

  47. 47.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    November 29, 2010 at 6:50 pm

    Do NOT consider the fact that this is the same paper that brought down Nixon. Your head will explo- Whoops. Sorry.

  48. 48.

    Scamp Dog

    November 29, 2010 at 11:09 pm

    @kommrade reproductive vigor: I read recently that Woodward and Bernstein were crime reporters, not political reporters or pundits. That seems to explain why they were willing to go there…

  49. 49.

    someofparts

    November 30, 2010 at 9:53 am

    Don Siegelman

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