How do they keep getting away with this crap?

It's been pointed out repeatedly that if the parties were reversed in the Plamegate scandal (e.g., if James Carville under the Clinton administration leaked the name of a CIA agent under similar circumstances), the shitstorm would be would have been at least an order of magnitude more severe. Today's news brings two more examples of this curious Republican deflection shield -- a Democratic administration that did the same would have been raked over the coals.

First, from Amy Sullivan, we hear that a Liberal Episcopal church is being threatened by Bush's IRS -- they might lose their tax-exempt status over a sermon condemning Bush's policy in Iraq unless they back down and promise never to do it again. Amy observes that no similar action is being taken against pro-Bush churches.

If a Democratic administration went after a conservative church and threatened its tax-exempt status over statements made during a sermon, it's safe to assume all hell would break loose. You wouldn't be able to turn on a cable channel without hearing some host intoning, "Is there a Democratic war on faith?"

Exactly.

Secondly, I hear from John that the Bush administration is putting more quotas on Chinese goods -- this time including shirts and trousers. Yet they still the party of small government, how?

The Republicans have built up a pretty good brand -- strong on National Security, Faith and Small Government. That certainly a part of how they're getting off so lightly so often on matters pertaining to these issues. What we need to do to retaliate is to be extra vociferous when it comes to pushing stories that contradict that brand. As the election results of yesterday indicates, it's a brand that is already starting to get tarnished.