WILL DOOLITTLE GET A HARSHER SENTENCE THAN CUNNINGHAM?

Republican John Doolittle was up to his eyeballs in the worst corruption scandal since Teapot Dome-- all the while proclaiming his innocence and hiding behind his Mormonism. His involvement in taking gigantic bribes for his support of schemes to set up forced prostitution and slave labor industry in the Northern Marianas Islands is far, far worse than anything fellow crooked Republican Randy "Duke" Cunningham ever did. Many decent people in Doolittle's low-info northern California red, red district wondered if he would ever be brought to Justice.

The Associated Press has a story out on the wires today that bodes ill for Doolittle, very ill. Many have suspected that Abramoff has been supplying federal investigators with information about his former congressional crony Doolittle. And the involvement in the case of the Abramoff-Doolittle go-between, another GOP criminal, Kevin Ring, seemed to seal the fates of both Doolittle and his moll/wife, Julie. Their home and offices were raided by the FBI and evidence was hauled away.

But today's news involves yet another top Doolittle staffer, David Lopez, turning on his former boss. Lopez is cooperating with the FBI as they build a devastating case against Doolittle. Lopez was Doolittle's chief of staff until 2005-- and then his campaign consultant until last year when the roof began collapsing-- and according to his attorney, he has provided the FBI with "several hundred pages of campaign finance records... under subpoena."

Although the Republican Party has no intention of backing a re-election effort by Doolittle next year, they are hoping he won't be indicted and forced to resign before then. Last year, as details of Doolittle's corruption just started emerging, Democrat Charlie Brown held him to under 50% of the vote-- in a district where Bush had taken 61%-- and it is inconceivable that he could win another election. A score of similarly far right GOP extremists just like Doolittle have lined up to jump in once he officially bows out. Charlie Brown has continued to work with his neighbors in the district to help them understand the connection between the Republican philosophy of government and the kinds of corruption that has swept up not just their own congressmen but other crooks from Cunningham, Ney and Abramoff to Tom DeLay, Rick Renzi and Jerry Lewis. You can contribute to Charlie's campaign here at the Blue America ActBlue page.