The Rockefeller Republicans -- though few in number -- still know how to make a ruckus to upset their party. You might remember, for instance, the stink that a number of moderates made on the eve of the GOP convention in August. Today, they're once again out in full force, as Thomas Ferraro reports for Reuters:

Ten former Republican U.S. lawmakers on Friday urged a reversal of new House of Representatives ethics rules that they charged were changed to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay from further investigation.

In an open letter to Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois, the former lawmakers said the rule changes early this year, which make it more difficult to probe an ethics complaint, must be reversed "to restore public confidence in the people's House."

"We felt grave concern when the Republican leadership changed the ethics rules ... We saw it as an obvious action to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay," the letter said.

[...]

In addition to [Pete] McCloskey [of California], other signers of the letter included Mark Andrews of North Dakota, a moderate who served in the House and Senate between the 1960s and 1980s.

Others, all of whom served in the House in the same era were: John Buchanan of Alabama; M. Caldwell Butler of Virginia; Paul Findley of Illinois; Bud Hillis of Indiana; James Johnson of Colorado; Richard Mallary of Vermont; Wiley Mayne of Iowa, and G. William Whitehurst of Virginia.

This letter might not have a direct effect upon the Republican leadership of the House, but it does send an important signal to the few remaining moderate Republican voters: your party has abandoned you. When the Rockefeller Republicans pay heed to this obvious statement, the Democratic Party should be more than willing to embrace them.