The Criminalization of Politics

Robert Novak neatly dissects Ronnie Earle's defense (quickly parrotted by the MSM) that the rogue Texas prosecutor is untainted by politics as he indicts more Democrats than Republicans.

That most of Earle's prosecutorial targets have been Democrats does not mean he is a straight shooter. A majority consisted of routine cases, but the big ones were tainted by politics. Earle lost a 1985 case against state Attorney General Jim Mattox, a political rival who accused the DA of using the case as a ''steppingstone.'' His 1992 prosecution that drove Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis out of public life was viewed in political circles as a hit job influenced by Gov. Ann Richards. Earle investigated but never brought an indictment against Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, who called the prosecutor ''a little boy playing with matches.''