http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2004/...cs2/index.html

Yes Salon is liberal, but if it were fox it would be gospel -- it IS
full of Quotes

Extract

Dec. 31, 2004 | Washington -- Republican leaders are considering a
change in House ethics rules that could make it harder to discipline
lawmakers.

The proposal being circulated among House Republicans would end a
general rule against any behavior that might bring "discredit" on the
chamber, according to House Republican and Democratic leadership aides.
House members would be held to a narrower standard of behavior in
keeping with the law, the House's rules and its ethics guidelines.

Other proposed changes to the ethics committee's rules being circulated
in a "Dear Colleague" letter from House Rules Chairman David Dreier,
R-Calif., would let House members respond to any admonishment before a
letter goes out from the committee, and would end an investigation if
there is a tie vote.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., plans to bring the proposal before
a meeting of all House Republicans next week "and see what they think,"
said Hastert spokesman John Feehery.

***
Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a watchdog group, said the
House Republican leaders' proposal "would fundamentally undermine and
damage the House ethics rules, and would constitute the biggest
backtracking we have ever seen on ethics standards in the House."

"If House Republican leaders are allowed to prevail, they will have
gutted the single most important ethics standard in the House and turned
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's multiple ethics transgressions into
acceptable conduct for all House members," Wertheimer said.