Ex-DeLay aide Michael Scanlon pleaded guilty today in the Indian tribes fraud case.

WaPo put the story out a few minutes ago.  Here's the link and the opening graf:

Michael Scanlon, a former partner to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to bribe public officials, a charge growing out of the government investigation of attempts to defraud Indian tribes and corrupt a member of Congress.

Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle and agreed to pay restitution totaling more than $19 million to the tribes.

According to his attorney, Scanlon is "regretful for what happened to the tribes."

This won't help Tom in his attempt to distance himself from anything unethical, illegal, or "reprehensible."

This is just a little something I threw together in an openthread over on kos...I figured I'd share it with you good people as well.

Of course, bush will return directly to Crawford as he takes the entire week of Thanksgiving off for vacation (as he has since taking office)...I don't think he ever undersood that four-day weekends aren't meant to be treated as seven day drunks, but to each his own.

I worry that the heat will come off of bush with the holiday break, but there is good news on the horizon...Scanlon's turning state's evidence, and republicans are running scared.  I don't even think bush wants to return to Crawford (where, of course, Cindy Sheehan is waiting to remind him that she's still pissed off about having her son killed in Iraq and wants an answer.

Scanlon starts talking,
Abramoff won't be walking,
Delay's now balking,
And Bush's leaks still need caulking,
GOP tactics are shocking,
But there's been less Chickenhawking,
Though con blogs are still squawking,
and Helen Thomas Scotty's stalking.

We must thank Scanlon for calling the Christian Right "whackos" in writing.  The link to the pdf file is below.  It's 318 pages, and the comment is on p. 119.  

http://indian.senate.gov/20 05hrgs/110205hrg/110205exhi bits.pdf

The Jack Abramhoff scandal is turning out to be a gold mine, offering a window into the heart of the GOP financial and power structure.

It is revealing what most people who follow politics carefully already knew - how bankrupt, corrupt and deceitful those who wield the power in DC really are.

But I don't want to talk about the financial aspects to this scandal today, I want to draw peoples attention to a different aspect.

Let's begin by looking at a Salon article in the extended.