Shorter Jack Murtha: Blah blah I'm corrupt blah blah blah blah blah

Pennsylvania Congressman Jack Murtha (note to commenters: Not a Republican :-) ) releases his own version of O.J.'s "If I did it." If he did it -- it was all for you and not for those friends with their lucrative lobbying deals on the side. Look, sometimes it does take hardball on the floor of Congress to get real economic development dollars for your district, but maybe I've naive to think there's a way to do that without purchasing the "friends and family plan" at the same time.

A lot of liberals fell head over heels for Murtha in 2005 when the one-time war hero took a principled stand againt the war in Iraq. This is why I always say love the idea, not the politician. Most pols aren't all good or all evil -- which is why former Gov. George Ryan of Illinois was heroic in shutting down Death Row even though he was also on the take (heck, even Blago was fighting on the right side for locked out factory workers the day before he was arrested), and the same is true of Murtha. But on the whole his corrupt practices are an anchor that's sinking whatever good he's accomplished. And it's time for the Dems and everyone else to abandon this ship.