How's That Swamp Cleaning Project Coming, Nancy?

Not very well, apparently:

Remember the new Democratic era? Well, it looks a lot like the old Democratic era.

Reports The Hill:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will let Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) keep his chairmanship despite his failing to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets on federal disclosure forms, according to Democratic aides.

The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee's latest misstep has received strong media scrutiny and prompted good-government watchdog groups to call for a special counsel investigation.

Growing ethical turmoil surrounding Rangel has prompted calls for Pelosi to yank Rangel's gavel.

But Democratic aides say that Pelosi will not pressure Rangel to resign his post or censure him publicly unless the House ethics committee finds him guilty of misconduct or a prosecutor brings charges.

Aw, shucks! I'm sure there must be a perfectly good reason that the House Ethics Committee isn't going to move forward, right? Why, shore 'nuff, there is:

CBS 2 HD has learned of more alleged back-door dealings and political power peddling by Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel.

The reigning member of Congress' top tax committee is apparently "wrangling" other politicos to get him out of his own financial and tax troubles.

There may be a reason for Rangel's arrogance. CBS 2 HD has discovered that since ethics probes began last year the 79-year-old congressman has given campaign donations to 119 members of Congress, including three of the five Democrats on the House Ethics Committee who are charged with investigating him.

Charlie's "angels" on the committee include Congressmen Ben Chandler of Kentucky, G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina and Peter Welch of Vermont. All have received donations from Rangel.

That's right: the Ethics Committee has been bought! In that light, it's not so amazing that they're not pressing Rangel on his omission of millions of dollars of assets, now is it?

Not only does this reflect poorly on Rangel, but it also presents quite a quandary for Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Democrats who were supposedly elected to 'clean the swamp' of Republican corruption.

I'm sorry, but it doesn't get much more corrupt than buying off the ethics investigation committee, does it? I think the swamp cleaning has gone way, way, way off track.

There's my two cents.