Charlie Rangel, Payola King

You may have noticed Nancy Pelosi last night during the snake-oil salesman's pitch for his health-care abomination. She was the one on the the right blinking furiously as Obama lied his way through a meandering speech that may mark the end of any perceived notion the guy is some great orator. Anyway, while Obama is deservedly a target of ridicule and scorn today and should make for some good campaign fodder in 2010, it's Pelosi who carries more baggage to exploit next year and her continued protection of the painfully corrupt Charlie Rangel should be target No. 1.

Wonder how Rangel has managed to survive and endless series of scandals in this, the most ethical Congress ever?

Why, by paying for protection, of course.

Rep. Charles Rangel has donated more campaign cash to the House Democrats than virtually any other member of Congress -- and critics charge that's bought him protection from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Federal Election Commission reports show Rangel's campaign committee has forked over $2 million to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee since 1995.

Only Pelosi (Calif.), Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer (Maryland) and Democratic Whip James Clyburn (SC) have been more generous.

Rangel also has donated $3.8 million from his campaign and leadership committees to Democratic candidates directly since 1999, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

"Rangel's seven-figure contribution to the Democrats' campaign committee seems to be money well spent. It looks like it has earned Rangel Pelosi's unyielding loyalty," said National Republican Campaign Committee spokesman Tory Mazzola.

Rangel spokesman Emile Milne said, "Throughout his time in office, Congressman Rangel has worked tirelessly to elect and maintain Democratic majorities in Congress and will continue to do so. No one owes him anything, and he's happy and proud to support Democrats in Congress."

Rangel has defied calls from other politicians and more than a dozen newspaper editorial boards to step down from his post as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, considered one of the most powerful panels in Congress, since ethical charges against him began to stack up last summer.

Pelosi has also refused to publicly cross Rangel.

His money has helped the re-election efforts of 119 members currently serving in Congress and three members who sit on the ethics committee.

No conflict of interest there, right?

While it's nice to see there are actually 12 newspaper editorial boards that maintain their dignity, where are all the others? Where are the television talking heads pursuing this on a nightly basis? Where are all the good government types on the left who honed their netroots skills dragging down Republicans for offenses far more insignificant in scope?

Oh, they're silent. I suspect they'd have much more to say if Rangel's name was Tom DeLay or Newt Gingrich, to name just a couple of GOP bogeymen who were hounded out of office. Rangel is infinitely more corrupt than either of these men were ever even suspected of being and they at least had the dignity to leave office than to further embarrass their party.

The Democrats? They can be bought off with campaign cash and their leader who professed to be the most ethical ever turns her head and blinks in another direction.

Congressional Quarterly suggests it's time to go. So does U.S. News and World Report. More thoughts from Victor Davis Hanson.

After the Republican scandals involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA), Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) and Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised to "drain the swamp," to end the Republican "culture of corruption" and to create "the most ethical Congress ever." Proclaiming ethical reform apparently means you have already enacted it.

In reality, by her tolerance for the ethically challenged like Rangel, John Murtha (D-PA), and others, Speaker Pelosi only reminds Americans that influence peddling and corruption are bipartisan sins: those out of power allege them, those in power commit them.

Instapundit links. Thanks!