I happen to be one of many who think that if Tom DeLay does have any legitimate legal problems they're likely to be found in his close association with Jack Abramoff, not the sloppy and abusive prosecutorial mumbo-jumbo being served up by Ronnie Earle.

Earle's most recent moves  - one of which includes subpoenaing legal records from an unrelated civil suit against DeLay settled more than a decade ago - give yet another indication that his case is far from solid and that he's reaching out in all directions to desperately shore it up as best he can.

It's too bad there hasn't been more comment on the ethically-challenged manner in which Earle has prosecuted this case.  Prosecutorial abuse can cut against both political parties, and if this case ends in an acquittal or it's tossed out based on a finding of prosecutorial misconduct, Ronnie Earle will have set a new low for partisan abuse of the legal system. That will be a personal disgrace for Earle, but it'll also be a shame for those who either cheered him on or stood by silently for partisan political reasons.