Lie Down with a Cockroach and You Get Filthy

El Presidente Bushie is wrapping his arms around Tom "Giant Flying Cockroach" DeLay and smothering him with kisses for being such a good go-to guy in pushing forward his theofascist agenda of one party, one god, and one pocket for all the money. According to the WaPo:

With DeLay facing intense scrutiny of his travel, fundraising practices and relationship with controversial lobbyists, Bush yesterday offered the Texas Republican a timely show of support by inviting him to a public event and aboard Air Force One for a trip back to Washington from Texas. Scott McClellan, speaking to reporters before the flight, said the president supports DeLay "as strongly as he ever has."

Bush is doing for the Cockroach precisely what he didn't do for Trent Lott, whose mistake was a verbal utterance, however offensive, rather than alleged graft, corruption, money laundering, threatening federal judges, and trying to destroy the courts through defunding. Why is Georgie working so hard to embrace a creepy bug?

I don't think the answer lies too far from anyone's grasp. DeLay is to Texas politics what the giant flying cockroach is to the urban sewers of Phoenix, Arizona: comfortable, effective, knowledgeable, entirely ruthless and feared for that ruthlessness. While certainly no match pound for pound with the Bush family evil empire, what DeLay knows about the darker side of Bushit life and politics is a hell of a lot more potentially damaging than anything some blowdried, shitkicking Senator from Mississippi could ever reveal. Hence, DeLay is Bush's butt buddy while Lott was tossed out by his pants without so much as a handshake or a Lieberman kiss on the lips.

The WaPo continues:

If the DeLay controversy explodes into a bigger scandal, some said, it could taint the White House, especially with Bush going out of his way to align himself with DeLay.

Of course, the Post tries to obfuscate the larger possible explanation for Bush's behavior by saying this:

"He does not think DeLay has done anything wrong," said Charlie Black, a GOP lobbyist with close ties to the White House. "It's Bush's natural instinct to stand with him. There could be a risk, but it's the kind of risk [Bush] takes all the time."

Bush might also feel boxed in and left with little choice but to help DeLay, who has won the devotion of social conservatives, several Republicans said.

Bush hardly takes such risks all the time--he's a consummate coward, someone who never has to clean up after himself, who hides behind James Baker or others of his father's circle and who uses third parties to smear and degrade opponents so he can claim piety and ignorance in the face of any accusations. But he has to take this risk, because there is a greater risk in spades if he does not. DeLay is not a nice fellow, and he has loyalty only in direct proportion to its benefit to him personally. If he goes down, I think he will not hesitate to drag everyone he can down with him. And I think that what will follow will make the Monica Lewinsky circus of 1998 look like a warmup act for the greatest crash of a presidency in American history.

I can't wait!