YOUR CROOK AND MY CROOK

If breaking a law is considered criminal behavior, and a crook is somebody who's engaged in criminal behavior, then it's fair to say that former Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Tom Delay is a crook.

If a person espouses the same policies that Delay claims to espouse, and holds Delay in high esteem because he shares their views, then I can understand why those individuals would want to believe that Delay's money laundering and criminal conspiracy convictions were unfair. After all, nobody wants to think that they are championing a crook.

Bill Clinton was a crook too. He lied under oath – a criminal offense. Many of us who espoused similar political views as Clinton wanted to believe that he was being unfairly treated too, and reasonable minds can differ on whether perjury was a "high crime or misdemeanor" under the U.S. Constitution, but the bottom line was that Clinton was a crook, just like Delay. He might have been "our crook", but he was still a crook.

On this Monday past, a judge in Texas sentenced Tom Delay to three years in prison, followed by ten years on probation, for the crimes Delay committed. He could have received more time, and he could have received less. All things considered, in my opinion it was a fair sentence. Then again, Delay fans will beg to differ. That's okay. Everybody's entitled to their opinion.

What stood out as noteworthy to me was that, prior to his sentencing, Delay took a rather defiant attitude about his convictions and refused to express any remorse for his actions. Of course, to his supporters, his position was an act of bravery and his defiance was justified, but to me, his lack of repentance was just another example of Tom Delay's arrogance.

Delay could have taken a different approach before the sentencing court and still maintained his innocence. He could have remained quiet and said nothing. He could have indicated that he recognized the public's interest in prohibiting financial corruption in politics and the inherent evils of money laundering. He could have apologized for not working more diligently to avoid situations that entailed the appearance of impropriety. He could have acknowledged that, as a national leader, he should have paid more respect to the honor of the institution in which he worked. He could have apologized to his wife and family…but he didn't.

Instead, Delay blamed everybody, but himself. He blamed the law. He blamed the prosecutor. He blamed the witnesses. He blamed his political opponents and he blamed the jury. He pointed a finger at everyone and everything, but refused to take a look at himself in the mirror. That's because Tom Delay is an arrogant man…and a crook!