by Rod D. Martin
November 23, 2006

Time Magazine offers its assessment of the foolishness (and consequences) of incoming Speaker Pelosi’s desire to name impeached federal judge and current Miami Congressman Alcee Hastings to the chairmanship of the Intelligence Committee.  Hastings, as you know, was one of only three federal judges impeached and removed from office in the entire 20th century.  Among those Democrat Congressional leaders voting against him were incoming majority leader Steny Hoyer, Senator Edward Kennedy, and incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Hastings was impeached for bribery and perjury to pervert justice.  Now, Pelosi wants to entrust all of America’s deepest secrets — and control over the funding and operations of all America’s secret-gatherers — to a man in serious debt who might tomorrow (or might now) feel a similar need to take bribes from our enemies.  It’s just insane.

It’s also a very bad start for the woman who says she’s going to run the most ethical House in history, particularly after her effort last week to elevate Rep. John Murtha — the ABSCAM unindicted co-conspirator whose 1980 discussions with men he thought to be Arab sheiks are available on YouTube — to the Majority Leader role.  Time calls this a bad stumble.  We call it something else.