Ethic cleansing

SF Gate:

House Democratic leaders on Thursday sought removal of two recently appointed Republicans from the ethics committee, questioning whether their judgment would be influenced by contributions to Majority Leader Tom DeLay's legal defense fund.

The committee last year deferred action on investigating any role played by DeLay, R-Texas, in a corporate campaign donation controversy in Texas that led to indictments of three of his political associates.

Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas contributed $10,000 to the defense fund and Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma donated $5,000, according to an analysis by the congressional watchdog group Public Citizen.

It's a good move, designed to draw more attention to the fact that the ethics panel is now stacked in Tom DeLay's favor. Without public involvement, however, a letter to an already ethically challenged group is not going to change their mind.

But again, it's a move I applaud.