Pelosi: Investigate Republican ethics, NOT fellow Dems

Nancy Pelosi, D-Bitchifornia, wants to investigate Tom DeLay for possible ethics violations, specifically accepting travel paid for by lobbyists. Fair enough, even though her motivations are less than pure: She doesn't care if DeLay has or has not done anything wrong or improper...she wants him to fry. Personally, I have no problems with an investigation, irrespective of motivation.

Here, though, is where I practice the lost art of ideological consistency. This art used to be important in the early days of political discourse. This art has never been practiced by the left, though, and Pelosi is no different. Story:

House Republicans called Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi a hypocrite yesterday for not demanding investigations into new ethics questions that have arisen about the travel of her fellow Democrats.

"She demanded an investigation into [Majority Leader] Tom DeLay, but hasn't said a word about these Democrats who have done the same thing," said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, North Carolina Republican. "If she doesn't call for investigations into her fellow Democrats, then it's clear she's being a hypocrite."

Republicans are wondering why the California representative won't ask for investigations into Democratic Reps. Norm Dicks of Washington, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, James E. Clyburn of South Carolina and Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, all of whom face questions about accepting travel paid for by lobbyists.

"As we expressed in earlier letters, Madame Leader, it appears more and more that your repeated calls for an investigation of Mr. DeLay are more driven by politics than by any real concern for the House rules," Mr. McHenry, with two other Republicans, wrote in a letter to Mrs. Pelosi yesterday.

Her response?

Despite urging from Republicans, Mrs. Pelosi refused to call for any investigations of her Democratic colleagues.

"The Republicans are yet again attempting to muddy the waters to divert attention from their pattern of abusing of power," spokeswoman Jennifer Crider said yesterday.

In other words, what's good for the goose is not good for the gander. To his credit, George Stephanopoulos called her on it in an interview.

In an ABC interview Sunday, Mrs. Pelosi dismissed questions about travel by Democrats, telling interviewer George Stephanopoulos: "Do not fall into a Republican trap of equating technicalities on reporting, timing of reporting with not upholding an ethical standard of the House."

Republicans see a double standard.

"What is a 'technicality' for her requires a full-scale investigation for others," said National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Carl Forti.