The Atlantic explained why Congressman Charles Rangel had to step down as chairman of the Ways and Means committee.
Democrats were going to humiliate him.
The New York Daily News reported Manhattan Democrats opening questioning the chances of Rangel running for re-election.
Irony of ironies; Adam Clayton Powell could run for the seat his father, Adam Clayton Powell, had lost to Rangel in 1970 amid similiar controversies.
Rangel won't be exiling himself to some warm water port though. He's the poster child for bad behavior in Congress -- and Democrats don't know where to hide him.
Ed Morrissey of Hot Air observes that Rangel refuses to ackowledge that his depature has anything to do with any wrongdoing -- and wonders if the Manhattan powerbroker will just slide right back into power.
A "leave of absence" is code for ... I'm still in charge.
Charlie Rangel is as proud as he is capable of smiling affably as he pulls a political sleight of hand.
Is he gone from chairing Ways and Means or feigning this departure?
Jay Bookman of the Atlanta Journal Constitution noted thatthe Ethics committee let everyone else walk away unscathed.
"Rangel’s departure, should it come, will be cited as evidence of a new attitude toward ethics in Congress. I’m not buying it. Last week’s unanimous vote of the House Ethics Committee to clear seven of their colleagues in an earmarks-for-contributions scandal made it quite clear that the old standards — or lack of them — are still at work."
The Washington Post said that Rangel's temporary leave needs to be permanent.
Rangel has no cover in D.C. or Albany and the White House is silent.
The Village Voice even sounded ready to stick the fork in Rangel.
"Rangel said he'd offered to step down "from the very beginning," but did not say whether he meant the beginning of the Carib investigation, or those of his real estate holdings or of his personal finances, both of which are still pending."
Pete Stark from California will now be the new whipping boy, chairman of Ways and Means.
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