So Many Republican Hypocrites, So Little Time

September 2, 2005 |

Ernie Fletcher

Welcome back to the BuzzFlash.com GOP Hypocrite of the Week.

Imagine a Democratic governor who pardoned nine of his aides, all of whom were indicted, while promising to be truthful about his own actions. But when the governor was called before a grand jury, he pleaded the Fifth Amendment. And these nine officials of his administration were charged for illegal actions taken on behalf of the governor's administration.

Don't you think it would be all over the FOX/GOP News Network and the rest of right wing cable television -- and in major newspapers around the country? And, of course, the pill-popping, thrice-married Rush Limbaugh would be rabidly attacking the governor for his arrogance toward the rule of law, right?

But, alas, the junkyard dogs of the GOP are silent when one of their own all too frequently gets caught up in a thicket of illegal activity. Such is the case with Republican Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher, who just this past week did all of the above and more.

Fletcher, who was following the lead of George Herbert Walker Bush's Iran-Contra pardons, wouldn't say for the record that he was innocent of wrongdoing. After all, he wouldn't want to get into a perjury rap when he was pardoning people to avoid finding himself indicted as the perps plea-bargained with prosecutors.

Fletcher is one cool con artist. He even pardoned any official from his administration who might be indicated in connection to the corruption that is being investigated. Wow, how neat is that!

The prosecutor's office said that Fletcher had "slammed the door on the public's right to know what wrongs his administration has committed."

Fletcher, working from the brazen Republican lie playbook, indignantly responded, "Some of our overeager young managers made mistakes in judgement that in an age of e-mails is evident for all to see. For those mistakes, the buck stops here -- no matter what the consequences."

Of course, by pardoning all the aides to make sure that they wouldn't rat on Fletcher, he did precisely the opposite of accepting responsibility. Instead, he accused, Karl Rove-style, law enforcement officials of partisan politics.

Ah yes, if every burglar or rapist could only use the same charge, we'd have no criminals in jail, would we?

Let's face it, Fletcher is just the Kentucky Enforcer for a national Republican Party that should be indicted for racketeering under the RICO Act.

And for that dubious distinction, Ernie Fletcher, Governor of the Blue Grass State, merits being named the BuzzFlash GOP Hypocrite of the Week.

Remember our motto at BuzzFlash.com: So many Republican hypocrites, so little time.

Catch up with you soon.