And now, on the subject of crooked politicians and their apologists,

we present Michael Barone:
I like Charlie Rangel, I think he's a decent person and a charming pol, and I'm inclined to cut him some slack because he served in the Korean War and survived some of the most horrific fighting that American men in arms have ever faced. I think it would be sad to see him lose the chairmanship of Ways and Means for sins which are more venial than mortal, just as I thought it was sad that his predecessor as chairman, Dan Rostenkowski, lost not only his chairmanship but also his seat in Congress and, for a while, his freedom for some small bits of chicanery that were dwarfed by his public policy achievements, notably in the enactment of the tax reform bill of 1986.
Yeah, that's how to do it. "He served honorably in the military, so what's some tax evasion and fraud and corruption now? Hey, I like him, he's charming; give him a break."

Bull-effing-shit, to put it bluntly. Having served in the military does not excuse corrupt/idiotic/criminal actions taken later. I don't give McCain a break on his actions as a politician; why the hell would I do so for Rangel? And Rostenkowski? Another corrupt dirtbag politician who should have had his 'small bits of chicanery' ignored because of his 'public policy achievements'.

You want to know why DC and a lot of states are so screwed up? Garbage like this: "We can ignore your theft/tax evasion/slander/etc., just be willing to make some suitable deals. And be charming, we can cover up your crimes." Mr. Barone, I DON'T CARE how 'charming' a politician is, I don't care about his actions in the past before he became a corrupt politician; honorable things done in the past do not excuse crimes committed since. Rangel has been writing tax laws that we have to follow while he was committing tax crimes(and God knows what else) and accusing other people of all kinds of crap; Rostenkowski was a standard-issue corrupt politician who managed to stay in place that long, and commit more crimes, because of people like you giving him a break.

The only break these clowns and all their corrupt brethren deserve is the one they get when they fall off the rail and the tar and feathers don't cushion the fall. They can have a cast put on before they're thrown in a cell. And if you think they're such wonderful people, why don't you dig into your own pocket and pay their tax bills and fines? After all, they're so charming and did such good work, you shouldn't mind.