Did You Know It's National Character Counts Week?

A couple weekends ago when Mrs. F and I were staying with the daughters of our friends Scratch and EO, we needed to get the girls ready for school on Monday morning. But they were dawdling and I was coming to the end of my wits trying to hustle them through their routine. Then Mrs. F came up with a brilliant idea -- she announced a proclamation from the King that M & C needed to get their clothes on and teeth brushed in short order. As M & C are 6 and 4 respectively and certainly enjoy a good royalty-laden fairy tale, this went over amazingly well, and we marched through the house with some pots and pans celebrating the successful completion of the proclamation.

It seems our own Dear Leader made a proclamation of his own recently -- it's National Character Counts Week:

During National Character Counts Week, we renew our commitment to instilling values in our young people and to encouraging all Americans to remember the importance of good character.
[...]
Our changing world requires virtues that sustain our democracy, make self-government possible, and help build a more hopeful future. National Character Counts Week is an opportunity to recognize the depth of America's character and appreciate those who pass on our values to future generations.

Funnily enough, I haven't heard any banging of pans or drums or really much of a mention at all of this proclamation. I wonder why? Maybe it's because Dear Leader doesn't really want to shine a light on the true character of the Republican party. Speaking of which, with allegations and charges flying about day after day, it's been hard to keep track of who's zooming who in the Republican ranks. Thankfully, Wonkette has created a handy dandy Crook List to help everyone keep up (hat tip to FotF El Jeffe). Here 'tis as of late evening on 18 October -- I'm sure they'll be updating it...

Ken Lay -- indicted, convicted, sentenced, killed

J. Clifford Baxter -- sued over Enron ripoffs, killed

Thomas Noe -- Coingate/Bush Pioneer indicted, convicted, imprisoned

David H. Safavian -- Bush aide/Abramoff agent indicted, resigned, convicted, imprisoned

John Ashcroft -- why did Soaring Eagle resign? Plamegate? Anyway, he immediately became one of K Street’s top lobbyists.

Michael Brown -- resigns as FEMA boss after Katrina disaster

Scooter Libby -- indicted, resigned

Jack Abramoff -- indicted, convicted, imprisoned, still bringing people down

Lil’ Jacks -- Ralph Reed, Grover Norquist, Michael Scanlon, Conrad Burns, John Doolittle, James Dobson, Richard Shelby, various other crooks

Duke Cunningham -- indicted, resigned, convicted, imprisoned

Kyle “Dusty” Foggo -- resigns No. 3 CIA post, investigated by CIA Inspector General over Hookergate

Porter Goss -- resigns CIA chief job along with Foggo

Claude Allen -- Bush’s top domestic policy adviser resigns to “spend more time with family,” actually caught robbing local department stores

Andrew Card -- Resigns as CoS to “spend more time with family”

Scott McClellan -- Resigns as WH spokesman to spend more time with Andrew Card’s family

Tom DeLay -- resigns as Speaker and then as congressman for being a crook & all-around asshole

Phillip Merrill -- ExIm Bank boss, undersecretary of defense & NATO ambassador, assassinated

William H. Lash -- assistant secretary of commerce, “shoots self”

Bob Ney -- indicted, convicted, resigns, rehab, prison

Ted Stevens -- Feds raid family offices and homes in Alaska

Mark Foley -- resigned, rehab, FBI investigating

Susan Ralston -- resigned as Karl Rove’s special aide after Abramoff bribes revealed

Curt Weldon -- FBI raids homes and offices of family and business associates; grand jury about to indict

Lester Crawford -- resigns FDA, indicted by DoJ, pleads guilty