More on Murtha's "ethics"

Pelosi's pick for the #2 spot in the "most ethical congress ever" is leaving more and more to be desired.

As Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute points out:

The ethics package was the only occasion in which more than a tiny handful of Republicans bucked their leaders and voted for the Democratic alternative--20 of them did so in this case, providing an opening for a real reform to pass the House. Except that four Democrats voted against their own party, killing ethics and lobbying reform all by themselves. Among them: John Murtha. Why? We recently learned from the New York Times that Murtha traded away lobbying and ethics reform in return for earmarks from the Republican leaders.

Murtha is a skilled and experienced legislator, a war hero and an articulate and passionate opponent of the Bush administration policy toward Iraq. He also is deeply ethically challenged. Electing him as Majority Leader is no way to start out the most ethical Congress in history. (emphases added)

Indeed.