We Will Make Them Famous -- British MP's, That Is...

So, is anyone paying attention to what is happening in the UK, and inside the European Parliament?

Sparked by the scandalous revelations that British MP's (Members of Parliament) were writing off "phantom" mortgages and charging the government for cleaning their moats, Labor, Gordon Brown and left-leaning politicians have suffered staggering losses both at home and in the European Parliament. In response, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has "reshuffled" his Cabinet, amidst a slew of resignations. Not satisfied, a chorus of voices is calling for Brown himself to resign, or at the very least, hold a fresh general election. Conservatives are making a sweeping comeback in the UK, elbowing Labor out of the way for the first time in over 30 years.

This was the kind of Congressional / governmental shakedown Sen. John McCain was talking about in his 2008 presidential campaign when he said, "We will make them famous." It's a difficult and unfortunate time for the Labor Party in the UK; it makes me wonder what it would be like if something on this scale really did happen in America. The US media was up in arms over Kathleen Sebelius failing to itemize a couple thousand in charitable contributions, and $150,000 worth of clothes the RNC bought for Sarah Palin (which, by the way, the FEC has ruled to be entirely above board. Talk about invented controversy. Ug.) Sure, we've got poster boys for corruption this past year like Bernie Madoff and Rod Blagojevich (whose scandal is deepening by the day, but the media is keeping it off the front pages because it could impact both Roland Buris and President Obama, both of whom are critical to the Democratic majority in Congress.) But, do we have these examples inside the government? And are we naive enough to think they don't happen? I'm curious to see how long the British MP shakedown will take to cross the pond and start lapping the shores of Washington.