Big Bob’s Ney-Saying

[[S H A M E]] * Boy, I thought we’d already wrapped up our Quote of the Week competition, after Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) dismissed Republican efforts to curb their party’s proclivity toward corruption. However, it’s hard to beat a remark made yesterday by U.S. Representative Bob Ney (R-Ohio), who earlier this week stepped down (at least temporarily) as chairman of the House Administration Committee, following testimony implicating him in the Jack Abramoff influence-buying scandal.

Asked by The Hill, a weekly newspaper covering Congress, whether an investigation into pricey trips, gifts, and campaign funds given to him by disgraced former lobbyist Abramoff will make him think twice about seeking a seventh elected term in November, a defiant Ney said, “I’m running--if I’m indicted, I’m running.” This followed comments made by Ohio’s Republican chairman, Bob Bennett, who told FOX News that “If Bob Ney is indicted, that’s a very serious charge. We would ask him to step down on that basis ... that’s where the line is drawn.”

By the way (hat tip to Daily Kos), the front-page headline on The Hill today was:

GOP UNVEILS REFORMS

How’s that for irony? No wonder voters don’t think Congress is serious about restoring public faith in its integrity.

READ MORE: “GOP Looks for White Knight to Lead House,” by Gail Russell Chaddock (The Christian Science Monitor); “Panic Button: At Last, House Republicans Learn to Run for Their Lives,” by Bruce Reed (Slate); “Republicans Gone Wild,” by Sidney Blumenthal (Salon).