A band of reformers

Be sure to read this scathing editorial from The New York Observer's Joe Conason, aimed at House Republicans who are now marketing themselves as "a lean, idealistic and indefatigable band of reformers." Mr. Conason seethes:

Glancing nervously behind them as their old cronies line up in the dock, from Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay to Duke Cunningham and Bob Ney, and looking nervously ahead to Election Day, the rentable statesmen compete to prove their devotion to the highest ethical standards. Their proclamations of purity display a truly touching faith in the perpetual gullibility of the American voter.

In fact, when you consider what they expect us to believe, it's hard not to be insulted.