Bill Frist, Tim DeLay, Karl Rove, Scooter Libby and Rush Limbaugh are under investigation and or indictment

Republicans like to insist theirs is the party of integrity, ethics and values. But how can this be? Republican politicians have: been party to seizing private land or personal gain, called for assasinations, extorted money, pushed classified information to reporters for political revenge, benefited personally from awarding lucrative contracts while in office, illegally abused controlled substances, made fortunes from enterprises that over-charge the goverment and are under indictment for criminal conspiracy and investigation for insider trading.

These are powerful, well connected people of priveledge who wear faith on their sleeve but have a very different set of rules for themselves. They are the true elite.

	Representative Tom Delay (R) Tom DeLay (aka the hammer) is the most frequently admonished congressional leader for ethics violations. DeLay's latest ethical challenge arises in the form of an indictment for illegally laundering unds in violation of campaign finance laws. DeLay allegedly funneled corporate money to local candidate in a scheme involving the various political pacs he is associated with. Loyalists claim it is all partisanship. Yet a grand jury handed down the indictment. More about Tom Delay
	Senator Bill Frist (R) Bill Frist of Tennessee made a fortune through the family business, Hospital Corporation of America. HCA has profited mightily, even beyond what is allowed by law. HCA was fined $840 million in criminal fines, civil penalties and damages for unlawful billing practices. These infractions came in the form of over-billing Medicare, Medicaid and the Defense Department's health care system. Frist's latest ethical problems arise from violating the spirit of the blind trust and insider trading, for which he is being investigated by the SEC. More about HCA
	WH Advisor Karl Rove (R) Karl Rove and ethics just don't fit well in the same sentence. He has a long history of bending the edges of what constitutes good behavior. Karl Rove's latest legal issues stem from his involvement in the outing of a covert CIA operative's name for the purpose of political retribution. Testimony and documentation confirms that Rove did disclose the name, a clear violation of the provisions of his security clearance and possibly in violation of the protection act of 1982. The special prosecutor is currently investigating the matter.
	VP Chief of Staff Scooter Libby (R) Scooter Libby has been instrumental in a number of plots which most people of ethics would avoid. Scooter was a key player in the awarding of no-bid contracts to Halliburton for work in Iraq. The VP's office vehemently denied having involvement in the contracts but it turns our Libby had been meeting with the Pentagon about Halliburton and the contracts. Libby is up to his eyeballs in the leaking of classified information, the identity of Valerie Plame. Judith Miller will testify that Scooter Libby compromised the classified information over coffee. More about "Scooter Libby"
	Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Dick Cheney is surrounded by some very substantial conflicts of interest. As Secretary of Defense under George H. Bush, Dick Cheney spear headed an effort to privatize a number of parts of the military. In 1992, Cheney worked with Halliburton to draw up the plans and contracts. After leaving government, Cheney joined Halliburton and profited from the very arrangements he helped to engineer. Cheney still owns over 400,000 Halliburton stock options and a series of no bid contracts for work in Iraq and hurricane Katrina flow to Halliburton. A conflict of interest is blatant and undeniable. More about Cheney and Halliburton
	President George W. Bush George W. Bush comes from a well connected family of wealth and power. George W. Bush was part of a group who exhibited substantial ethical transgressions in the process of profiting by building the Texas Rangers' stadium. The group seized private property through a quasi-government agency, the ASFDA and passed a 1/2 cent sales tax on residents to build a stadium. George W. Bush put 14 million in his pocket during the process. More about Bush and the Stadium
	Radio Performer Rush Limbaugh (R) Rush has long elevated himself above all those "lowly liberals and democrats". He identifies himself as someone who lives by and fights for ethical behavior. Except Rush was abusing prescription drugs for a period of over 5 years. The amount of pills consumed by Rush necessarily requires him to have obtained them illegally through a practice known as "doctor shopping".
	Self Appointed "Moral Compass" Bill Bennett (R) Bill Bennett has occupied a variety of roles on the national stage including Sec. of Education under George H. Bush and also propagandist as a founding member of Empower America and the Project for a New American Century. Bennett also declares himself to be a fierce defender of "moral values" and holds himself up as "America's Moral Compass". Quite contrary to this lofty level, Bennett spent considerable time and money engaged in casino gambling. Bennett also makes racist statement such as "aborting black babies to reduce the crime rate". More about Bill Bennett
	Christian, Lobbyist, Bush Campaigner, Ralph Reed (R) Ralph Reed is the face of the Christian right. Ascribing to himself deep, religious virtue, Reed has a long history of questionable activities. Reed is quite close to Jack Abramoff who with Reed, engaged in unfortunate quid-pro-quo lobbying efforts, most notably extorting money from Indian Casinos for campaign contributions. More About Reed's Gambling Scandal
	Christian Evangelist, Pat Robertson (R) Pat Robertson is one of the most prominent and influential figures of the religious right. But his behavior is often most "un Godly". Robertson has blamed abortionists, the ACLU, feminists and gays for the 9/11 attack, calls Judaism "demonic" and called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez. Robertson has also been accused of using his tax-exempt, nonprofit organization, Operation Blessing, as a front for his own financial gain, and then using his influence in the Republican Party to cover his tracks. Robertson is estimated to be worth over 200 million dollars and has therefore benefited mightily from the Bush tax cuts. more about Pat Robertson