Although this is pretty funny, really, even for those of you who don't have my morbid sense of humor. Consider the party of God, the party of moral values: the Republicans. Then consider what the first act is they have undertaken after the election which defined them as the guardians of our morals:
Spurred by an investigation connected to the majority leader, House Republicans voted Wednesday to abandon an 11-year-old party rule that required a member of their leadership to step aside temporarily if indicted.
Meeting behind closed doors, the lawmakers agreed that a party steering committee would review any indictments handed up against the majority leader, Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, or any other members of the leadership team or committee chairmen, to determine if giving up a post were warranted. The revision does not change the requirement that leaders step down if convicted.
The new rule was adopted by voice vote. Its chief author, Representative Henry Bonilla of Texas, said later that only a handful of members had opposed it.
The Republicans' old rule was adopted in August 1993 to put a spotlight on the legal troubles of prominent Democrats. Mr. Bonilla said revising it had been necessary to prevent politically inspired criminal investigations by "crackpot" prosecutors from determining the fate of top Republicans.
This is very satisfying on some level. I hope the fundamentalists appreciate the ethics of this decision. I hope in vain, of course, the fundamentalists don't follow this stuff we call reality.