There's only one possible explanation for this
Yesterday, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) was indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiring to violate political fundraising laws. Texas laws prohibit corporations from donating money to political parties, but a political action committee (PAC) set up by DeLay and others acted as an entry point for corporate donations. Money was given to DeLay's PAC, then from DeLay's PAC to the RNC in Washington, and then back to individual candidates in Texas. Also indicted were John Colyandro, formerly the executive director of DeLay's PAC, and Jim Ellis, the head of DeLay's national political committee. Read the actual indictment. Go on, I dare you! You hate your country if you don't.
As with any scandal, there are two explanations. One is that DeLay actually committed a crime. The other is that the prosecutor is a crazy partisan Democrat who will stop at nothing to use the legal system to see to it that one of the most powerful Republicans in the United States gets convicted of a crime despite overwhelming evidence indicating that he's a really upstanding guy who didn't commit a crime, and furthermore, would never, ever even think of laundering money in the interests of getting Republicans elected to the Texas state legislature, and here's a picture of DeLay holding a kitten.
Guess which one DeLay and other Republicans are promoting?
Yes, that's right. As if guided by some mysterious talking points memorandum sent from the RNC higher-ups, Republican pundits simultaneously lambasted prosecutor Ronnie Earle and pulled the Crucible card by calling the investigation a "witch hunt." See, the only problem with that comparison is that the phrase "witch hunt" refers to an investigation without a basis. DeLay's investigation, on the other hand, has a basis: there is actual, tangible evidence indicating the existence of a money chain which goes from corporations to DeLay's PAC to the RNC and finally, to individual candidates. This is all in violation of the law, by the way. Nevertheless, DeLay called the indictment "one of the weakest, most baseless indictments in American history." That's compared to the actual Salem witch trials and Joe McCarthy's accusation of communists in the Army. And there's Emmett Till.
Some pundits also fail to acknowledge that it was a federal grand jury -- that is, twelve normal people from Texas -- who agreed that there was enough evidence incriminating DeLay to pursue charges against him. Or are these twelve people also engaged in a witch hunt?
Clearly, that's the only answer. Not only is Ronnie Earle engaged in a witch hunt, but he falsified evidence and bribed and brainwashed twelve citizens of Texas into believing the baseless claims that Tom DeLay -- a politician, for crying out loud! -- committed a crime.
Kevin Madden, DeLay's spokesperson, accurately summed up the issue: "This indictment is nothing more than prosecutorial retribution by a partisan Democrat. [...] We regret the people of Texas will once again have their taxpayer dollars wasted on Ronnie Earle's pursuit of headlines and political paybacks." Damn that Ronnie Earle's black heart! How dare he waste taxpayer money on one of the most baseless indictments in American history (next to all of those ones that are several orders of magnitude more baseless)!
DeLay was on Hannity & Colmes yesterday. There isn't a transcript yet, but you can bet your patriotism that Hannity and DeLay both agreed that the charges were baseless and somebody -- probably John Kerry -- bribed the judge and jury. Ooh, that Kerry! He really busts my buttons with his east coast liberalism and the kind of intellectual and political snobbery that can be equalled only by every other politician in Washington! Nevertheless, it's he who is the snob and Republicans who own shares of the largest for-profit hospital company in the country who are the voices of the common man!