Lean Left

DeLay was treated like royalty:

Over the past six years, the former House majority leader or his associates have visited places of luxury most Americans have never seen, often getting there aboard corporate jets arranged by lobbyists and other special interests.

Public documents reviewed by The Associated Press tell the story: at least 48 visits to golf clubs and resorts with lush fairways; 100 flights aboard company planes; 200 stays at hotels, many world-class; and 500 meals at restaurants, some averaging nearly $200 for a dinner for two.

This stuff is corrupting even to a plaster saint. Lobbyists have the power to make the life of a Congressperson very comfortable. Even the most honest of people would be tempted to listen a little bit harder to the nice people with the expense account. And when you have someone who is not terribly honest, well, then you have the kind of corruption we have seen in the Republican leadership for the last several years.