CAN YOU TRUST A REPUBLICAN? EVEN ONE WHO LIES IN YOUR FACE? WAMP, CUBIN, FLAKE, LOBIONDO... TAKE YOUR PICK OF A GOP PLEDGE-BREAKER

Do you remember the gimmicky term limits pledge Republicans were taking back in the 90's? They were complaining that Democrats stayed in Congress too long and it just made them too corrupt. Republicans, on the other hand, would just come to DC, do what their constituents wanted and get back home asap. In 1994 it was all the rage to pledge to serve for only 6 terms (12 years). Yesterday the Congressional Quarterly exposed eight of the pledge-breakers: Zach Wamp (TN), Barbara Cubin (WY), Phil English (PA), Jeff Flake (AZ), Timothy V. Johnson (IL), Ric Keller (FL), Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ), and Mark Souder (IN), all Republicans, of course. A number of other Republican liars who are running again in November after promising to abide by a specific, now passed, term limit include Steve LaTourette (OH) and Jerry Weller (IL) and Montana Senator Conrad Burns (who has far more serious problems than just lying about term limits).

Although CQ asserts that all of the lying incumbents are shoo-ins for re-election, this is primarily not because they are so wildly popular and has more to do with Rahm Emanuel being too busy making war on progressive grassroots candidates who dare to challenge his and Bush's war posture so that he hasn't bothered finding candidates to run against this pathetic lot of right-wing shit-eaters. But maybe if we all keep saying what a great job he does as DCCC chairman, we'll all start believing it. Somehow Emanuel forgot to purge Illinois' 15th CD race of David Gill, a progressive who ran against Johnson in 2004 and has been building grassroots support in the district ever since. Barbara Cubin may have a tough race against Gary Trauner and Wamp is going to have to face Fighting Dem Terry Stulce.