And just where were you before the election?

From a Reading (PA) Eagle editorial:

Democrats in House make the right move

The Issue: Rep. John P. Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat, loses his bid to become House majority leader.

Our Opinion: With his less than sterling ethics reputation, it’s just as well.

There was nothing wrong with lauding Rep. John P. Murtha, a retired Marine and Vietnam War veteran, for standing up to President Bush for his poor management of the war in Iraq. Murtha was giving a voice to the frustrations of many.

But as for his unsuccessful candidacy for post of House majority leader, it’s just as well that Murtha, an unindicted co-conspirator in the infamous Abscam scandal, was rejected soundly by his fellow Democrats.

Only a week earlier, in the wake of the takeover of House and the Senate by Democrats, Rep. Nancy J. Pelosi, the House speaker-elect, said one of her first orders of business would be an ethics overhaul of the House.

Exit polls revealed that a top concern of most voters was the culture of corruption that has permeated Washington in recent years.

Given Pelosi’s promise of an ethical housecleaning, her support of Murtha for majority leader had many people puzzled.

Well, let's just say that we at MMG were (and remain) a bit puzzled as well, given the PA dead tree media's overwhelming support of the "ethically-challenged" Murtha during this last re-election bid. If Murtha's ethics (or lack thereof) should have precluded him from the House Majority leader, why wouldn't the same consideration have precluded him from earning another term in representing the interests of PA-12?