It is nice to see that Charlie Rangel has finally been forced to give up his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, but the issue should have been forced a long time ago. Instead, the House Democratic leadership sought to protect Rangel for as long as possible; this despite promises of “the most ethical Congress in history,” “draining the swamp,” and battles against the “culture of corruption” that supposedly only existed when Republicans controlled Congress.

I am sure that some people will try to sell Rangel’s (temporary) departure from his chairmanship as some kind of profile in courage for him, and for the rest of the Democratic leadership. But no one should be fooled.

A very good essay by Peter Beinart:

Independents are the most fickle, the most cynical, and the least ideological people in the American electorate. When they’re unhappy with the state of the country, they tend to stampede the party in power—less because they disagree on the issues than because they decide that the folks running government must be malevolent and corrupt. In Washington, congressmen violate ethics rules all the time. But when independents get in one of their sour moods, these infractions become matches on dry tinder. In 1994, the scandals concerning Rostenkowski and the House bank helped sweep the Gingrichites into power. In 2006, according to exit polls, the scandals surrounding mega-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Rep. Mark Foley did more to lose the GOP control of Congress than did the Iraq war. Pelosi became speaker, in fact, by running against the GOP’s “culture of corruption” and promising the “most ethical Congress in history.”

Now Republicans are hurling those phrases in her face. Democrats, who in April 2006 held a 17-point advantage as the party less “influenced by lobbyists and special interests,” have seen that margin dwindle to eight points, according to the Pew Research Center. The National

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