The indictment against House Majority leader Tom Delay Thursday has sent shockwaves through the political world; Republicans scurried to anoint a new House leader while Democrats denounced an unethical and corrupt Republican Party.

Tom Delay himself also jumped into the fray, labeling the prosecutor who brought the conspiracy charges, Ronnie Earle, as a "partisan zealot" bent on "political retribution." These comments do not withstand scrutiny, but Tom Delay knows that and doesn't care. His comments were part of a carefully coordinated attempt to defame the legal process and Earle's credibility. Keep in mind that attacks on credibility have work well for Republicans in the past: think President Bush's personal attacks on John McCain in 2000, the smear campaign against Richard Clarke after he testified before the 9/11 Commission, or the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth TV ads in 2004.

Earle is now serving his eighth four-year term as Travis County's district attorney in Texas. Earle has said that he has prosecuted 15 local officials, 12 Democrats and three Republicans.

These figures portray an elected official who exhibits an air of impartiality and respect for his job. The same cannot be said for Delay; only last year the Republican was admonished three times by the House Ethics committee for questionable fundraising practices, among other accusations. We should disregard the politicking and media spin and let our adversarial legal system do what it does best: seek justice and truth.