Staffing Woes

DeLay's former Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Rudy promised to cooperate with officials after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges:

Rudy, 39, agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department investigation, which sources have said is scrutinizing the actions of half a dozen members of Congress, as well as of Capitol Hill staffers, other officials and Abramoff's business associates. The court papers for the first time formally refer to DeLay as one of those involved in the activities under scrutiny, listing him as "Representative #2." But though the papers show that Rudy traded on DeLay's name, they do not indicate that Rudy has evidence to implicate his former boss.

Richard Cullen, DeLay's attorney, said his client "was unaware of any of the acts to which Mr. Rudy has pled guilty."

That would be like if my mother ever wondered who has been eating all the bite-sized Snickers bars and I refused to acknowledge the presence of the candy in the kitchen cabinet after my sister ratted me out.

Oh, and more staffing changes under the new White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten:

Joshua B. Bolten, who takes over April 15 as White House chief of staff, is developing a proposal to overhaul West Wing operations with the twin aims of bringing more voices into the policymaking process and avoiding staff breakdowns such as the slow response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

I've got a suggestion - fire Bush.