The Week

Admit it: You’re grateful Michael Richards isn’t a Republican.

When old footage that showed Rep. John Murtha nibbling at a bribe dangled by an FBI “sheik” appeared online, the hero of the Iraq resistance was transformed overnight into a dull-witted crook. At least we can say that Murtha’s fondness for dubious Arabs is enduring. The House Democratic caucus rejected Murtha in his race for majority leader, in favor of Steny Hoyer, by a vote of 149-86. The Democrats’ other dirty would-be leader, Rep. Alcee Hastings, also went down. Hastings was favored to head the Intelligence Committee, until the media and his colleagues began focusing on his past. In the 1980s Hastings, then a federal district judge, was impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate for conspiring to accept bribes. Since both Murtha and Hastings were initially approved by incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi, their travails are early black marks for her. But they may not be lasting. When Hastings joined Murtha on the sidelines, it was good for the country-and good for the Democratic majority, which made itself cleaner and more effective thereby. Republicans and conservatives still face a long march back.

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Admit it: You’re grateful Michael Richards isn’t a Republican.

When old footage that showed Rep. John Murtha nibbling at a bribe dangled by an FBI “sheik” appeared online, the hero of the Iraq resistance was transformed overnight into a dull-witted crook. At least we can say that Murtha’s fondness for dubious Arabs is enduring. The House Democratic caucus rejected Murtha in his race for majority leader, in favor of Steny Hoyer, by a vote of 149-86. The Democrats’ other dirty would-be leader, Rep. Alcee Hastings, also went down. Hastings was favored to head the Intelligence Committee, until the media and his colleagues began focusing on his past. In the 1980s Hastings, then a federal district judge, was impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate for conspiring to accept bribes. Since both Murtha and Hastings were initially approved by incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi, their travails are early black marks for her. But they may not be lasting. When Hastings joined Murtha on the sidelines, it was good for the country-and good for the Democratic majority, which made itself cleaner and more effective thereby. Republicans and conservatives still face a long march back.