There’s an old saying that “a bad penny always turns up.� Makes cents. Tom DeLay is living proof of this adage. The man puts the ease in sleaze. In the course of my daily stroll on the information superhighway, I came across the following news item, which I have excerpted for your reading pleasure:

WASHINGTON (AP)—Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay, forced to step down as the No. 2 Republican in the House, scored a soft landing Wednesday as GOP leaders rewarded him with a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee. DeLay, R-Texas, also claimed a seat on the subcommittee overseeing the Justice Department, which is currently investigating an influence-peddling scandal involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his dealings with lawmakers….DeLay was able to rejoin the powerful Appropriations panel…because of a vacancy created after the resignation of Randy “Duke� Cunningham, R-California. Cunningham pleaded guilty in November to charges relating to accepting $2.4 million in bribes for government business and other favors.

Well, gosh, not only is there a paucity of justice inside the Beltway, there is a paucity of integrity. Perhaps these Beltway boobs should do away with all pretense and declare that DeLay has joined the Inappropriations Committee. At least we’d know up front what we were getting. But I like what Truthdig has to say about the matter: “Having DeLay act as a fiscal watchdog makes about as much sense as electing Libya chairman of the U.N. Human Rights Commission.� Or, I might add, about as much sense as planting a bush in the Oval Office.