GOP spin in defense of treason

As BushCorp™ loyalists nervously await the indictments almost certain to be handed down by the Plamegate grand jury, they're also trying out their spin cycles on how to put the best face on treason.

The latest is from Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas, on Meet the Press:

Senator Hutchison said she hoped "that if there is going to be an indictment that says something happened, that it is an indictment on a crime and not some perjury technicality where they couldn't indict on the crime and so they go to something just to show that their two years of investigation was not a waste of time and taxpayer dollars."

1) Just to pick nits, the cost of Fitzgerald's investigation has been an astonishingly low (by DC standards) $723,000 (compare with $52 million for the Ken Starr investigations of Clinton), and
2) "Perjury technicality"?! Jeez. Now perhaps in Texas lying to and obstructing federal investigators is the status quo, a time honored way to keep away from them gol durn revenooers. (In fact, given BushCorp™'s heavy Texas contingent, that would explain a lot). But I suspect, even for most folks in Texas, such behavior isn't actually acceptible.

Not even if you move to Washington.

One of the most despicable things about BushCorp™ lies and corruption is the "everybody does it" spin seems plausible.

Writing at cbsnews.com, Sportsline.com columnist Lloyd Garver makes an excellent suggestion:

Yet it seems that all these crimes are considered "business as usual" in American politics. And that's the outrage. The people we trust our government to should have a higher standard of ethics, not a lower one. If someone we've given power to lies, cheats, or steals, it's unforgivable.

Is this just the nature of the beast? Is it like complaining about the weather? Maybe not. I've got one suggestion that might help. It's time we pressure the lawmakers to have stronger penalties for those in power who commit crimes. Politicians are always calling for stiffer laws, so how could they not approve of this idea? Let's just double the fines and sentences for crimes that public officials commit. If perjury is a two-year offense for you or me, make it a four-year offense for a Congressman. If misappropriation of funds can get the average Joe 10 years, it should get the average Senator Joe 20. And make them serve their sentences in jails surrounded by prisoners whom they represented.

And while Mr. Garver's suggestion may never come to fruition, there is one penalty we the people can excercize: any pol who uses the everyone does it dodge needs to be sentenced out of office forthwith.