Quid Pro Quo

Thankfully, it appears Alcee Hastings will not become the chair of House intelligence committee. It is reported that Nancy Pelosi's aids were warning her that giving the Hastings the chair would blow into a major controversy. They are right. Hastings was impeached from the Federal bench for a bribery scandal. Hastings was found guilty by a Democratic Congress.

Pelosi made her mistake with John Murtha. She almost repeated the same mistake with Hastings. Erza Klein is floating Rush Holt's name.

What we are seeing is Pelosi repaying the favors of people that helped make her House Speaker. The only problem is that those owed quid pro quo have more baggage than an airport carousel. Fortunately, House Democrats rebeled against Pelosi and did not let her build a Tom Delay-style mafia.

Update: Hastings is sending out a letter to House Democrats. Maybe he hasn't thrown the towel in.

“I hope that my fate is not determined by Newt Gingrich, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Michael Barone, Drudge, anonymous bloggers, and other assorted misinformed fools,” he says.

Hastings isn't going to win this one. Unless, Pelosi commits political suicide and gives him the chair.