Think Progress on Ronnie Earle
From Hammer to Slammer

Well, Tom Delay might not make it to the Big House, but just having an indictment against the man was a huge surprise, so I'm ready for anything. From the little I was picking up while flying out of North Dakota back to Seattle, Delay and Co. have settled on the main meme of prosecutor Ronnie Earle being a partisan hack who is only going after Tom Delay and his stooges because he hates Republicans. Think Progress has a good list of facts that you can use to keep things in perspective when arguing with your favorite conservative uncle or neighbor. Here are a few highlights:

EARLE HAS PROSECUTED FOUR TIMES AS MANY DEMOCRATS AS REPUBLICANS: “Over Earle’s 27-year tenure, his Public Integrity Unit has prosecuted 15 elected officials, including 12 Democrats.” [Los Angeles Times, 5/15/05] EARLE PROSECUTED DEMOCRATS AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF STATE GOVERNMENT: “Some of the Democrats prosecuted by Earle and his Public Integrity Unit are former Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis, former Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox, former State Treasurer Warren Harding and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Yarbrough.” [AP, 12/12/04] HOUSTON CHRONICLE: ALLEGATIONS OF PARTISANSHIP NOT SUPPORTED BY FACTS: Chronicle editorial: “The record does not support allegations that Earle is prone to partisan witch hunts.” [3/17/03]

Check it out for the full list and links to the individual news stories. (It feels good to be back.)