Pat Buchanan: Ronnie Earle should be "behind bars"

On the October 11 edition of the nationally syndicated radio show Imus in the Morning, which also airs on MSNBC, MSNBC news analyst and former Republican presidential candidate Pat Buchanan followed other conservatives (see here, here, and here) in attacking Travis County, Texas, district attorney Ronnie Earle for his prosecution of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX). Buchanan claimed that Earle should be "behind bars" for his involvement in DeLay's recent indictment on conspiracy and money-laundering charges.

From the October 11 broadcast of Westwood One and MSNBC's Imus in the Morning:

IMUS: We're talking to Pat Buchanan here on the Imus in the Morning program, 17 till the hour. Even people who are not fans -- we're kind of switching gears here, slightly -- but, even people who aren't fans of Tom DeLay think that this looks a little flimsy, what they have on him, or not?

BUCHANAN: They ought to put that guy, Earle, behind bars. Look, I mean, look what he did. He indicts DeLay, on Friday, so DeLay's lawyers come in on Monday and said, "Ronnie Earle has indicted DeLay for violating, in 2002, a law that wasn't even passed and enacted until 2003" --

[laughter]

BUCHANAN: --and so Earle has got egg all over his face. So, he impanels a grand jury --

IMUS: Over the weekend, I guess, right?

BUCHANAN: --and in five hours they indict him. Well, it's unbelievable.

IMUS: Yeah.

BUCHANAN: I mean, really. I was talking with a friend of mine in the green room last night, and we were talking about this -- you know, the criminalization of politics is appalling. It used to be good enough that you'd go out there, and you beat the guy, fair and square. And he's out for four years, and you have a good laugh. But, now's it's, uh, it's not satisfactory or if you can't beat him, you put him in prison.

—J.M.