Upon assuming her Speakership, Nancy Pelosi assured Americans she would “drain the swamp” and still to this day boasts of that notion as an accomplishment. Sadly, the swamp is winning.
 
In perhaps the most appalling display of “cronyism,” a word Pelosi herself used almost incessantly when Republicans were in power, she has allowed her good friend and political ally, Charlie Rangel to retain his powerful post as the Ways and Means Committee Chairman, despite calls for him to step down on both sides of the aisle and a litany of unethical transgressions, including:

- Evading taxes on $1.3 million in income derived from multiple properties and failing to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars of assets and income.

- Accusations of taking a $1 million contribution to the Rangel Center at City College from a wealthy businessman who later got a lucrative tax break for his company.

-Accepting a Citigroup-funded trip to the Caribbean in November 2008, when the bank was bleeding the bailout funds dry.

- Unreported rental income from a vacation villa in the Dominican Republic that Rangel failed to acknowledge when filling out financial disclosure forms.

Instead of applying the same guidelines on impropriety that she did for the GOP, Pelosi has largely remained mum, opting instead to duck, deny, and ignore the gravity of the situation in front of her.  Not surprising as this isn’t the first instance of her favoritism.

She’s stuck by her closest congressional cohort, John Murtha, who now faces an investigation for misdeeds including no-bid contracts awarded to a nephew’s company and $38.1 million in earmarked appropriations for clients of the PMA Group, which employ former Murtha staff members and contributed to his campaign.
 
When asked about attempts to strengthen congressional standards, the Pennslyvania Democrat responded that he thinks it's “crap.” Apparently his buddy Pelosi agrees.
 
Despite finding photos of $90,000 in cash tucked inside containers of pie crust and Boca Burger from an FBI raid of Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson’s house, Pelosi tried to gift him (ironically) with a Homeland Security committee assignment. He would later be convicted of 11 counts of racketeering and bribery.
 
Someone call Joe the Plumber. The drain on the swamp is awfully clogged.
 
Some Democrats agree. Two of her members broke with ranks and voted against Mr. Rangel, a sign that the Speaker will soon have to answer for her actions, or lack thereof. Many are calling for him to resign, realizing that not only is this hypocrisy in its most audacious form, but also that Republicans will make hay of this issue until the leadership on the left, mainly Pelosi, call for him to step down.
 
When the ultra liberal New York Times editorial page wags its finger in disgust for one of their own and a hometown son, one can measure the severity of this mistake. The NYT writes:
 
“It is time for Democrats in Congress — who once justifiably complained about the corruption of the Republican majority — to demonstrate to Americans that someone in that august body has ethical standards.
 
“Speaker Nancy Pelosi, maintaining her tunnel vision on behalf of a powerful colleague, led the majority to defeat the Republicans’ latest call to depose the New York lawmaker. She does the nation no favor.”
 
But many still refuse to see what damage it is doing to their credibility because he’s “a likeable guy.”  Mark Foley was also a likeable guy. But he had to go. More obviously, a chilly demeanor isn’t the charge.
 
Mr. Rangel is the big cheese when it comes to writing federal legislation that impacts our tax code.  To not only shield a member of her caucus as political payback for Rangel’s past support of Pelosi -- but also reward that member -- displays that she is willing to risk losing her entire caucus, and what’s left of her almost non-existent credibility, for the sake of a few. That’s not just bad politics. That’s bad judgement.
 
 
If she hopes to survive a bloody battle in 2010, one where her own words and actions will be used against her, she must insist Rangel resign immediately.
 
To The New York Times who concluded their scathing rebuke by assuring that the protection of Mr. Rangel as chairman “is a grave misstep” that can only hand the ethics issue back to Pelosi’s political opponents, I would argue that it’s far too late. The issue has already been returned to Republicans. We can only hope control of the U.S. House is next.