There's been so much negative buzz following comedian Stephen Colbert's in-character testimony before a congressional subcommittee on immigration that one might think it was a huge mistake on the part of the congresswoman who invited him. But mocking American institutions, wasting taxpayer money and placing a higher value on entertainment than information fits right in with the voters Democrats in general and subcommittee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-California) in particular are trying to reach.

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Evidently backroom deals are such second nature for Representative Charlie Rangel (D-New York) that cutting one seemed like a reasonable way to deal with the ethics charges against him. According to people close to the investigation against the embattled Congressman, Mr. Rangel's attorneys met with Democratic ethics committee staff this week in an attempt to avoid Thursday's scheduled public ethics trial. (source) While no one will publicly state whether Representative Rangel himself or Ethics Committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-California) were present at the meeting, it's clear that none of the Republicans on the committee were in attendance. Since at least one Republican on that non-partisan committee must agree to any settlement, holding meetings without them won't help Mr. Rangel's cause.

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