I could be wrong, but I could swear that Democrats ran on two major issues this past election cycle. One was to find a "new direction" for dealing with Iraq, and the second was to clean up government and bring back integrity to Washington. Didn't you hear the same thing? Democrats were chiding Republicans over Abramoff, Foley and DeLay, and how Congress and the GOP were all corrupt.

Nancy Pelosi certainly claimed that she was going to change things. And, yet, she has lobbied hard in hopes of getting John Murtha elected to House Majority Leader. She was, however, unsuccessful.

Some will undeniably be irked that I'm picking on Murtha, because he was brave and served in Vietnam. I commend him for his service, but really, military service and integrity have no correlation whatsoever. I'm more interested in who Murtha is as a Member of Congress, not as a soldier in Vietnam.

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group that is supposed to be against government corruption. The group was founded by Democrats, and most of the people targeted by CREW are Republicans. In just this past September, CREW issued a 241-page report entitled The 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and Five to Watch). In fact, if you look at the list, sixteen are Republicans and four are Democrats. So, this is not some conservative hack group.

Guess who appears on this list? If you picked John Murtha, you'd be absolutely correct.

What did Murtha do that was so horrible? Murtha, as the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Sub-Committee for Defense, managed to direct money to KSA Consulting. KSA Consulting, conveniently enough, employs someone named Robert Murtha. Murtha and Murtha are related - they're brothers. Murtha, as Ranking Member, managed to also drive funds to an outfit called PMA Group. PMA Group was founded by a gentleman named Paul Magliocchetti. Who is Magliocchetti? Why, he used to be Murtha's senior aid in Congress.

Back in 1980, undercover FBI agents posing as Arab shieks were attempting to buy asylum into the United States. The investigation was called Abscam. Murtha was approached by the FBI agents and was offered a bribe of $50,000. He turned it down, stating, "I'm not interested... at this point... After we've done some business, well, then I might change my mind." He was never indicted, because he cut a deal in exchange for testimony against fellow congressman Frank Thompson.

So, if the Democrats really want to clean up corruption in Washington, why is Murtha Pelosi's right-hand man? Despite his being defeated for House Majority Leader, why is he in a position of power?

I'm not going to end this at Murtha, however. Looking at other esteemed members of the Democratic leadership, I'll switch gears to Alcee Hastings. For those of you who have never heard of Representative Hastings, he was once a US District Court judge in Florida. In 1989, fellow Democrats impeached and removed Hastings for accepting a $150,000 bribe. Hastings is the Senior Democratic Whip, he is a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and he is the Ranking Member of the Sub-Committee on Terrorism and Homeland Security.

So, if the Democrats really want to clean up corruption in Washington, why is Hastings holding such a prominent position, especially dealing in important matters such as, say, national security?

I'm not going to end this at Hastings, however. Looking at other esteemed members of the Democratic leadership, I'll switch gears to Harry Reid. Harry Reid is the new Majority Leader of the Senate. So, what's the problem with Harry Reid?

Reid very recently made $1.1 million. While on its surface, this doesn't seem like any huge reason to badmouth the guy, it is how Reid made the $1.1 million. In 1998 Reid paid $400,000 for a parcel of land. Then in 2001, he transferred that land to a limited liability corporation (LLC) in exchange for $400,000 worth of the LLC. The LLC then sold the land, and Reid collected $1.1 million as his share of the deal. This deal was brokered by close Reid friend Jay Brown. Reid failed to disclose this deal, claiming he forgot about it, and thus violated Senate rules.

Just this past October, Reid "slipped" again when he used $3300 in campaign donations to purchase Christmas gifts for the staff at a condo association where he lives. Currently, this matter is being investigated by the Federal Elections Commission.

I'm sure we've heard about the famous Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska that has been brought up as yet another example of Republican corruption. But, have you heard about the Bridge over the Colorado? It seems as if Reid, the good, honest guy that he is, added earmarks to spending bills to build a bridge from Nevada to Arizona over the Colorado River. This is important, because this bridge would significantly increase the value of 160 acres of investment property that Reid owns in Arizona.

So, if the Democrats really want to clean up corruption in Washington, why is Reid the Senate Majority Leader?

How exactly are Democrats going to clean up corruption in Washington when they won't clean up their own leadership?