Dammit, Howard.

Why say stuff like this…

Indeed, at the DNC's executive committee meeting in Washington in early June, Dean publicly acknowledged that some congressional Democrats had urged him to tone down his "culture of corruption" rhetoric because they did not want to get caught up in the same ethics probe as DeLay.

…when you know it will lead to stories like this...

Washington — Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is trying to get voters to hold the Republican Party responsible for the "culture of corruption" he sees in Washington, but Dean is getting virtually no help from fellow Democrats in the House of Representatives.

…and you know damn well none of it is true.

In fact, the House Democrats have kept the issue of Republican ethics, or lack thereof, on the front burner throughout this Congress, and long before. Despite the grandstand whining of former Rep. Chris Bell or CREW's Melanie Sloan, the reason that Democrats aren't bringing new charges before Doc Hastings' committee is that they've been steadfast in their refusal to recognize a committee that doesn't operate with a non-partisan staff under equitable rules. Democrats are winning that fight, a victory which isn't aided by a blindside attack from the Chairman.

One of the reasons so many in the Congress were hesitant about the idea of Chairman Dean was the kind of rhetoric he employed when he was positioning himself as the great avenger from the outside, determined to whip the Party into shape from below. They worried that that rhetoric would be problematic coming from someone with a role deep inside, charged with leading the Party from above. If that happened, it would, of course, be a problem, but many noted that Dean's anti-establishment fervor seemed to be of a particular time, adopted for a particular campaign strategy. They pointed to his five terms in the Governor's Mansion, and his successes as a negotiator, and organizer and, of course, fundraiser.

Unfortunately, Howard's rhetorical excesses continue. When they're employed against our adversaries in the GOP, they may have some utility, though they're usually employed by the right wing echo chamber to distract folks from whatever disaster has most recently fallen Bushco™ or the Bugman. When they're aimed at our own, they're simply destructive. When they're patently false, they're inexcusable.

Fact is, the House Democrats have gone far beyond the battle over ethics rules and committee structure. Their primary online vehicle, The Stakeholder, has long been primary source material for my 'Scandal Scorecard' series. Caucus leaders have been outspoken on the corruption that's infested their Republican counterparts. Rep. Rahm Emmanuel, Chair of the DCCC, expressed the leadership position well while announcing a new round of targeted print ads focused on corruption issues…

"There's a question about the conduct and the culture that goes beyond the individuals. The speaker's gavel is supposed to open the people's house, not the auction house."

All ya'll in search of Democratic spine, looking for a little tough talk from the top, take note - and he didn't have to slam a single D to do it.

The targets of those ads? Readers of the hometown newpapers in the districts of Randy 'Duke' Cunningham (CA), Tom DeLay (TX), Bob Ney (OH), Richard W. Pombo (CA), Rob Simmons (CT) and Charles H. Taylor (NC). Frankly, I'd rather see the House D's spending their time and money talking to those voters than see them dropping more paper on a moribund committee.

If Howard Dean's having a problem finding House Democrats to work with on the corruption issue, maybe he's the one having trouble playing with others, since they've been in the game long before he joined the league.