Sanity Prevails In Washington -- For Once

House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi makes a right call in refusing to elevate Congressman Alcee Hastings to chairman of the Intelligence Committee.

Hastings, currently the No. 2 Democrat on the panel, had been aggressively making a case for the top position, supported by members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Critics pointed out that he had been impeached when he was a federal judge and said naming him to such a sensitive post would be a mistake just as the Democrats take over House control pledging reforms.

"I am obviously disappointed with this decision," Hastings, D-Fla., said in a statement thanking his supporters. "I will be seeking better and bigger opportunities in a Democratic Congress."

Hastings, only the sixth federal judge to ever be impeached and removed from office, may be able to serve his country in another manner. But a man who still owes (link to a PDF) millions of dollars to lawyers -- and who has a history of accepting bribes -- should not have his hands on highly sensitive intelligence information.

So Abscam Murtha loses his race for the No. 2 position and Hastings is out as Intelligence chair. Neither should have been considered for such high posts with their questionable ethical backgrounds. But at least these potential wrongs were corrected by pressure from their own side of the aisle. It's another defeat for a Pelosi ally, but a win for centrist Democrats.