Former Majority Leader Dick Armey Critical of Delay's Lobbying Operation

Dallas Blog:

“In an article in today's New York Times, former Metroplex Congressman Dick Armey is very critical of the lobbying operation on K St. headed up by former DeLay staffer Ed Buckham. Buckham has been implicated in the Abramoff scandal. Here is what Armey has to say: "Tom DeLay sent Buckham downtown to set up shop and start a branch office on K Street. The whole idea was 'What's in it for us?' That's what I thought at the time and I've seen nothing in the way they've conducted themselves since then to dissuade me from that point of view." ”

Ed Cognoski responds:

This is reminiscent of the conversation between former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Vice President Dick Cheney. When Mr O'Neill argued that tax cuts would result in ballooning federal budget deficits, he says Cheney "cut him off" by saying, "Reagan proved deficits don't matter. We won the midterms. This is our due."

Wealth. Power. Influence. Privilege. These wouldn't be the first politicians to be motivated by less than altruistic goals. But it is disappointing that Republicans, after 40 years of Democratic rule of Congress and 8 years of the Clinton administration, would fall into the same patterns of behavior that they decried in others. So much for restoring dignity and honor to Washington.