I Would Ask “Have They No Shame?” but…

I know that they don’t.

So let’s say you’re the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives and you need to appoint someone to replace Randy "Duke" Cunningham – who resigned after pleading guilty to accepting bribes for government favors -- on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Given that this is the committee that essentially doles out taxpayer money, you would want someone (especially after what happen to the Dukester) with unquestionable ethics, right?

So who did House Republicans name to the position? Tom DeLay, of course. Yes, the same Tom DeLay who is under indictment on criminal charges of conspiracy to violate election laws and money laundering.

"Allowing Tom DeLay to sit on a committee in charge of giving out money is like putting Michael Brown back in charge of FEMA — Republicans in Congress just can't seem to resist standing by their man," said Bill Burton, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Oh, and for good measure, the GOP also placed DeLay on the subcommittee overseeing the Justice Department – that’s right, the committee that’s in the process of investigating Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff on his shady dealings with GOP lawmakers.

Tell the truth: If this were any other administration, you would think I was making this up, wouldn’t you?