Celebrating Memorial Day with Ethics Failures

Congressional Democrats approach the Memorial Day recess without a single piece of major legislation that they campaigned on signed into law. Few have been sent to the president at all. And in the last week before the holiday, House Democrats have voted to block a reprimand of John Murtha for threatening another Member in violation of House rules, and ignored a report that the Intelligence Committee violated earmark rules to the benefit of Murtha. And the scary thing is, that may be the GOOD news for House Democrats this week.

That's because besides disappointing their base by finally conceding to fund the Iraq war, it appears that House Democrats may delay action on ethics reform legislation (already pretty weak) indefinitely:

A Democratic House aide confirmed leadership discussions about whether to postpone votes on the reform package until after the upcoming weeklong break. The aide said a fluid situation made it difficult to determine exactly when, if at all, leaders would pull the plug on action this week.

House Democrats already are playing defense on the ethics front this week. Republicans have charged Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) with violating House rules for threatening another lawmaker's earmarks. A GOP motion to reprimand him was tabled Tuesday evening on a largely party-line vote...

Boyd said objections to the measure aren't contained to a couple of corners of the caucus. Instead, he said, Members from different backgrounds who share long histories of honest service under existing rules are raising hackles. To say leaders have their work cut for them, he said, "would be an understatement..."

Outside reform groups said they are ready to ring the alarm if lawmakers leave town without wrapping work on the package. "If this gets dragged past Memorial Day, we're in a world of hurt," said Meredith McGehee of the Campaign Legal Center.

She framed a stark choice for House Democrats. "My question to them if they're unhappy with the current bill is, ‘Do you think you'll be happier in the minority?'"

For their ethical shortcomings, Democrats have been criticized by the Los Angeles Times and New York Times, and apart from being unable to adopt and apply new ethics rules, Democrats are being hit -- by CNN -- for the lavish junkets that they are now taking with taxpayer money:

If the Memorial Day recess is an appropriate time to judge the effectiveness of the new Congress, Democrats cannot be pleased with how they're likely to be judged.