More Republicans Speak Out Against Corruption

Over the past three years or so, there has been a steady stream of Republicans speaking out either against Bush's war in Iraq or his fiscal policies. Here's another conservative Republican speaking out this time against the corruption in Congress; John Byrne of Raw Story has an interview:

He didn’t support invading Iraq. He says national security decisions are too often made for political gain. And he maintains that Tom DeLay used “legal plunder” for the “immoral purpose of holding onto power.”

A Democrat? No – His name is Richard Viguerie, a conservative icon and key architect of Ronald Reagan’s 1980 victory. Known to many as the godfather of direct-mail campaign fundraising, his four-decade career has succored scores of conservative candidates and grassroots causes.

A balding grandfather with a wry Texan’s smile, Viguerie is a seasoned conservative who confidently brushes aside accusations that his criticism of Republicans is intended for personal gain. On Monday, he sat down with RAW STORY to talk about his new book, Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause.

Viguerie is clearly a conservative and since I'm a Democrat, there are any number of things he mentions in his interview that I would not agree with, but it is refreshing to hear him come out against Tom DeLay and the general corruption of the Republican leadership in Congress. Viguerie doesn't quite have the gumption to suggest that voters turn to the Democrats as a way of reforming the Republican Party (and otherwise he doesn't quite say how that reform would otherwise happen), but I appreciate that he took the trouble to express his dissatisfaction in a book. Let's hope more Republicans start seeing the problems of their party with clearer eyes.