However you define "caught," more and more Republicrooks are it, which creates an etiquette problem for their "left behind" brethren

Tonight I switched off the surprisingly interesting Falcons-Bears game to take a look at The Lost Prince on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre. But instead, there--accompanied by assurances that regular programming would be seen in its entirety afterward--was Gwen What's-her-name informing us that our Chimp-in-Chief was about to barge into our living rooms to spew a new round of lies about Iraq. (Okay, she may not have used those exact words, but that was the gist.)

For as much of the debacle as my stomach could stand (it's tough, but not that tough), I got the impression that Chimpy is feeling proud and happy to have an Iraq policy at long last. Never mind for a moment that it's mostly disinformation, lies and rank imbecility; is it hopelessly churlish to wish that the li'l devil had gotten himself an Iraq policy before he launched his psychopathic orgy of violence and mayhem?

It will be interesting to see whether any of the country is swayed by the latest pack of lies and stupidities. Of course there's the wacked-out 30 percent that will apparently give a giddy Alfred E. Newman-like thumbs-up to any imbecility or evil that's excreted out of the doodyhead's orifices. This is too bad, because the future governability of the country may depend on the possibility of detoxifying the presently poisonous rancor of the Way-Far-Gone Right.

But the immediate problem is restoring some awareness and sanity to the broad middle of the country. And they may not be so easily swayed by this obvious attempt to divert attention from (a) the ruination brought about, at home and abroad, by the Bush administration's catastrophic policies and (b) the rampaging crime wave being exposed on the part of so many of the people who helped put this gang of loons and thieves in power and the people who have latched onto the profit-making opportunities.

In a chat before DWT winged off for Morocco, he objected to my reference to a growing number of Republicrooks being "caught," insisting it depends on how you define caught. I had to concede the point. What I meant, I said, was the actual state of prosecutors having the goods on you. He objected again that this definition applies to only the tiniest fringe of the R-crooks. In the grand scheme of R-crookery, he ventured, "Duke" Cunningham is not only small potatoes but an embarrassing criminal nincompoop--especially alongside the real champions of corruption like Duncan Hunter.

DownWithTyranny readers don't need a roll call of the titans of R-crookery. You've heard the names, over and over. (New visitors are invited to stroll through the DWT archives for some of the eye-popping details.) And it's true that hardly any of them are currently preparing their criminal defenses.

But that's just for now. I'm guessing that even Duncan Hunter isn't sleeping so well these days. Even allowing for the fact that all the U.S. attorneys are Bush appointees, there are limits to how much and how far they can look away. And once this process has begun, it has a way of snowballing. As the lower-level crooks spill their guts in hope of striking some kind of deal with "the man," even politically appointed prosecutors can't ignore where their investigations have taken them.

It is, of course, from the self-righteous extreme right that we've heard so much over the years about "law and order" and "values" and "restoring honesty and decency to government." And what we've gotten instead is a bunch of lowlifes so thoroughgoingly dishonest and personally corrupt that their motto might as well be "How can you think you've gone too far if nobody's stopped you?"

On the human level, you have to feel for the still-unindicted R-crooks, who have to figure out how to deal with their fallen brethren. One day they could rally behind their esteemed colleague Randy "Duke" Cunningham; the next day--and I'm thinking of the day when he confessed to the portion of his criminal activity for which prosecutors had him dead to rights--they didn't know him. They were shocked. Of course such a horrible person must be punished.

But how do you deal, say, with Tom DeLay? I gather that more and more of his House cohorts are already distancing themselves from him, and have no wish to have him back in the House leadership, whatever the outcome of the legal matters for which he so far stands formally accused. But you don't hear a lot of public repudiation, and this is understandable. Who would knowingly provoke the wrath of the Hammer, even in his present wounded state? This is a man who considers punishing his enemies a moral obligation.

What happens, though, when indictments start being brought for some of DeLay's vast expanse of criminal activities? And when people higher and higher up start cutting deals that incriminate him, and the noose starts tightening around him enough so that even DWT might concede that he's "caught"? I think it will be breathtaking to see how quickly the "left behind" R-crooks dissociate themselves from the Clawless Hammer. Never did trust the guy, we're going to be hearing.

Actually, as in so many other matters of cowardice, cravenness and flight from responsibility, a trail has already been blazed by the Chimp of Chimps himself. Yes, our very own George W. Bush. Remember how he reacted when the whole Enron scam was unraveling at the feet of his old buddy "Kenny Boy" Lay? The same Kenny Boy who played such a large role in installing him in the White House? And remember how GWB stood by his old buddy when the Enron jig was finally up? Hmm, barely recognized the name, he said. Oh yes, that Ken Lay, he said. Oh, but he was a friend of Ann Richards', not mine, Chimpy declared.

Well, sometimes what goes around comes around. Maybe there will come a time when R-crooks who escape the prosecutors' clutches will ask you to repeat that name--what was it, George U. Butch? Nope, can't say as I recollect the fellow, but if he did the awful things they say he did, why sure, he should be punished.

[Footnote: I gave up onThe Lost Prince after not too long a while. Sad as it might have been to learn about the poor mentally retarded prince whose grandfather and father were kings of England, at least that poor little fellow didn't grow up to be president of the United States.]