Alamo' Than a Feeling

Congressional scandals can be boring, sure. They can also produce wonderful documents like this letter from oily Texas Republican Joe Barton [PDF link], comparing the plight Dennis Hastert's flock faces to that of the heroes of the Alamo.

Today our Speaker, Dennis Hastert, is suddenly surrounded by a besieging army, but of a different sort. It is not a military army, but a political and ideological army of the left, demanding his unconditional political surrender. We, the House Republican Conference, ironically a little over 200 strong, have a decision to make, just like the defenders of the Alamo some 170 years ago. We can cross the line and stand with our Speaker in defense of conservative values and common decency, or we can retreat.

Emphasis (and enmity) mine. Proof, if any was needed, that "common decency" is a meaningless buzz word that politicians toss around like soda companies toss "half the calories" and "to the eXtreme."

Related news: the dynamos at the Josh Marshall TPM dynasty have a robocall Dennis Hastert's campaign is chucking into answering machines across his Illinois district. Long story short: "Liberals suck. I suck less."

(Via The Hotline.)