Todd Tiahrt, Republican congressman from Wichita, is worried. In the course of a heated debate, he told his colleagues on the House floor "If you have a single ounce of self-preservation, you'll vote no."
What, you might ask, is so crucial to their survival? Is this more heated rhetoric over FISA? Funding for the war on brown people terror?
No, an ethics bill, creating a bipartisan panel to investigate ethics complaints against congresscritters. This is what Tiahrt sees as a profound existential crisis. Says something, doesn't it?
Tiahrt's power over the Kansas 4th district is being challenged by Donald Betts, an exceptional state senator. Betts has been a strong voice for working Americans, for saner foreign policy, and for action on a range of issues that won't be addressed at the state level. Here's hoping he can unseat the shady incumbent.