Thus far Tom DeLay's defense in the face of multiple indictments has consisted of variations on the, "Ronnie Earle is out to get me" theme. And
The Washington Times has gone out of their way to give DeLay a forum for his victim routine. They did it
last week when they published DeLay's baseless accusations against Earle regarding Earle's own campaign donations...but that claim was quickly debunked, so they are trying again today with an effort that puts to shame the lowliest tabloid. A blatantly one-sided
hatchet job against Ronnie Earl...it begins:
Ronnie Earle, to many Republicans and especially Tom DeLay and his friends, appears as the devil incarnate: A rotten, mean-spirited Democrat with an ax to grind. Evil, partisan, unfair -- and not too bright.
Nowhere to go from there but up, right? Well, we are talking about The Washington Times...so following a few tepid, anonymous rebuttals to that opening screed, we learn more about Earle's evil and mean-spirited side...
The article takes on an ominous tone when the reporter, no doubt in an effort to be fair and balanced, tries to get a Republican's point of view </sarcasm> on Mr. Earle:
"I would be a fool to comment on this," said one Senate aide last week. "Anything could happen to me or my boss." [...]
"It's not that we are afraid," said one, glancing around to see if anyone was in earshot, "but this guy has the power. You know, the real power. And he's known to have been vindictive."
This of course was the perfect segue into the failed prosecutions of Maddox and Hutchinson, that The Times helpfully points out, are often called "politically motivated vendettas." No sources are cited, so we are left not knowing if these unnamed critics are they themselves politically motivated.
The article then moves onto two cases...one that Earle prosecuted and one that he was apparently peripherally involved in. The first is a disturbing case about an 11 year old girl charged with capital murder. After three trials and convictions, the girl was freed after the courts determined that her confession had been improperly coerced by the Austin Police Department. I'm against the death penalty in general, and most certainly oppose it being used against children, so I won't defend Earle or Texas law here. And after an initial google search, I've been unable to find any information on the other case mentioned, so I cannot comment on that. But neither case does anything to further the claim of bias or political vindictiveness.
After wrapping up the smear of Earle's prosecutorial history, including a blithe dismissal of his many successful prosecutions against Republicans, we learn about these disturbing facets of Earle's personality:
"He goes home after work, doesn't hang out at the bars, seldom attends political functions." [...]
"...he's not of us. He doesn't fit the pattern of most of those in public office."
Well then, Earle must be the devil incarnate, on yet another partisan witchhunt (if that mixing of demons is allowed). After all, we learned in the last election, who people want to have a beer with is vitally important. What Mr. Earle might have said in response to this article is not known since the reporter apparently didn't bother to call him for a comment. But if they had, I'd imagine that Earle would respond as he has before:
"This investigation is a little like clowns coming out of a Volkswagen in the circus. There's always another clown coming out."
The Washington Times is just another clown.