DeLaymander

The problem with political appointees is that they tend to make decisions based on political considerations. The latest example comes from the justice department, where officials suppressed findings that the Texas redistricting plan was illegal:

Justice Department lawyers concluded that the landmark Texas congressional redistricting plan spearheaded by Rep. Tom DeLay (R) violated the Voting Rights Act, according to a previously undisclosed memo obtained by The Washington Post. But senior officials overruled them and approved the plan.

It also shouldn't be surprising that the illegality of the redistricting was clear to the Republicans who designed it, but that they went with it anyway.

The memo also found that Republican lawmakers and state officials who helped craft the proposal were aware it posed a high risk of being ruled discriminatory compared with other options.

But the Texas legislature proceeded with the new map anyway because it would maximize the number of Republican federal lawmakers in the state, the memo said. The redistricting was approved in 2003, and Texas Republicans gained five seats in the U.S. House in the 2004 elections, solidifying GOP control of Congress.

I hope this victory at any cost approach backfires. Stories like this haven't gone anywhere yet, though, and so far Republicans have been getting away with it.