3 Is A Trend

Randy Cunningham was an incident. Tom DeLay was a coincidence. Bob Ney is a trend:

Ohio Republican Rep. Bob Ney has agreed with the Justice Department to plead guilty to at least one criminal charge in a deal that could be announced as early as Friday, Capitol Hill sources said Thursday.

The Justice Department and Ney’s attorney would not discuss whether a deal has been reached.

“I don’t have anything I can share with you right now,” said William Lawler, a lawyer for Ney. Ney’s congressional office did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

But Capitol Hill sources close to Ney said the plea agreement was ready to be publicized on Thursday, but an announcement was delayed to avoid influencing a special election in Ney’s congressional district.

Ney was all but named in multiple indictments of lobbyists and former Congressional staffers throughout the year. This plea bargain was all but assured. And "deal" means they'll be getting some information from Ney on some others.

Jerry Lewis, John Doolittle, Richard Pombo... you're all on deck.

UPDATE: Charlie Brown and Jerry McNerney represent the best chance to pick up seats for the Democrats in California because they are not afraid to label Doolittle and Pombo as corrupt Abramoff cronies. Brown just launched a site called Doolittle Facts which takes it right to him for siding with Abramoff on the forced abortion, sex slavery, sweatshop compound that is the CNMI.

The CNMI Government has been under intense scrutiny for more than a decade in connection with their tolerance of sweatshop factories, forced abortions, sex slavery, religious restrictions, and numerous other human rights abuses. While most Americans have never heard of the CNMI, or the abuses, John Doolittle has known for almost ten years—through published reports by the U.S. Department of the Interior, in certified letters sent to his office and the Resource Committee on which he served, and on national news programs like ABC News’ 20/20.

John Doolittle has done nothing in the face of these abuses. Twenty-nine legislative reforms have been proposed in Congress since 1995 to fix problems on CNMI, and Doolittle has supported none of them. Instead, he’s championed millions in CNMI appropriations from U.S. taxpayers. He’s also provided campaign contributions and other political support to CNMI government officials that have helped perpetuate the exploitation of tens of thousands of their residents.

The whole "culture of corruption" meme has waned somewhat, and it didn't help in a campaign where Francine Busby tried to run against Duke Cunningham, who was already in jail at the time. But when you're running against the SOURCE of the corruption, you must hold him accountable for it. And Brown (and McNerney) are doing that. Maybe that's why he's he's in a virtual dead heat with an entrenched incumbent.