Just as soon as the House Ethics Committee finally investigates corrupt House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (albeit lackadaisically), the Republicans have gotten so scared that their leadership is considering removing the Chairman of the panel. The Washington Post's Mike Allen reports:

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert is leaning toward removing the House ethics committee chairman, who admonished House Majority Leader Tom DeLay this fall and has said he will treat DeLay like any other member, several Republican aides said yesterday.

Although Hastert (Ill.) has not made a decision, the expectation among leadership aides is that the chairman, Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.), long at odds with party leaders because of his independence, will be replaced when Congress convenes next week.

So, who might replace Hefley should he be removed from his post for even attempting to do his job? It appears the answer is a DeLay crony from Texas.

The aides said a likely replacement is Rep. Lamar S. Smith, one of DeLay's fellow Texans, who held the job from 1999 to 2001. Smith wrote a check this year to DeLay's defense fund. An aide said Smith was favored for his knowledge of committee procedure.

Republicans are bracing for the possibility that DeLay, who is the chamber's second-ranking Republican and holds enormous sway over lawmakers, could be indicted by a Texas grand jury conducting a campaign finance investigation that the party contends is politically motivated.

This stinks. The Democrats must hit the Republicans hard on this, and it comes down to five words:

Government accountability and fiscal responsibility