It was 60 years ago this month when the greatest president this country has ever had passed away.
Remarkable and courageous, there was very little Franklin D. Roosevelt did wrong in his four terms as commander in chief. But one of the few blemishes on his resume was a futile and embarrassing political effort that overstepped the boundaries of his office.
This gaffe is where Roosevelt, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and the current Republicans in Congress have something in common.
Before we get into it, this is the last time I'll mention FDR and DeLay in the same sentence. DeLay is not worthy of such an honor. FDR was a hero. Tom DeLay is a weasel.
In 1936, Roosevelt was on top of the world. He had just won re-election by a landslide and felt he could get away with just about everything. This was just about true.
Unfortunately for FDR, the only thing standing in his way was a conservative Supreme Court. Justices shot down measure after measure of Roosevelt's New Deal, angering FDR to the point that he waged war (so to speak) on the court.
Roosevelt wanted to appoint an additional justice for each member of the court reaching or above the age of 70. This was very convenient for the president, considering the court was dominated by men who came close to or exceeded that age.
The miscalculation proved to be FDR's most embarrassing moment as president. No one supported him, even members of his own Democratic Party saw right through it.
Fast forward to 2004. The Republican Party controls the White House and both houses of Congress. DeLay is in the middle of a funny little ethics probe that questioned his political tactics. The House Ethics Committee -- the only congressional committee made up of an equal number of Democrats and Republicans -- slaps DeLay's wrist and says, "Shame on you."
After this, the spotlight is all over DeLay. He and the rest of his party knew it. Seeing that their leader was in trouble, the Republicans did what they do best: They changed the rules in the middle of the game.
Following Bush's re-election, Republicans got rid of the Ethics Committee chairman and three other GOPers, replacing them with members who would prove to be a little more loyal to the majority leader.
Incidentally (as the Los Angeles Times reminds us) two of those members had previously "contributed to DeLay's legal defense fund." The new and improved Ethics Committee also enacted a few rule changes for good measure, including the requirement of a majority vote to initiate investigations.
With the committee being evenly split, the chances of them doing anything remotely just and noteworthy are slim to none.
Now, DeLay is under fire for even more ethics violations, this time regarding family vacations being paid for by lobbyists. (By the way, this is illegal.)
Furious and frustrated, the Democrats have decided to boycott the Ethics Committee while the Republicans are offering an investigation into DeLay's wrongdoings -- conducted only by Republicans, of course.
Nothing like Washington at work.
Maybe relating Roosevelt's "Court Packing" to Republican committee packing is comparing apples to oranges. But the point is that they are both examples of powerful men arrogantly abusing their respective offices.
The difference is that when Roosevelt was attempting to court pack, the country was in the middle of a depression. Roosevelt's actions were wrong -- to be sure -- and would backfire, but he could at least claim he was looking out for the best interests of the country.
The Republicans cannot say the same. They are abusing their authority to protect a man who is not worthy of protection. At some point, the GOP will realize that their sleazy, scheming ways are going to take a toll on their party.
It sure would be nice if I could have my closest friends serve as judge and jury whenever I get into trouble -- and I get into a lot of it, trust me. It sure would be nice if I were able to make up and change the rules of the game already in progress if I were losing. But, unfortunately, that's not how things work in the real world.
Then again, Republican leadership resides nowhere near the real world.
Vic Vela is a journalism graduate student. Reach him at vic.vela@asu.edu.
