Rangel temporarily steps aside from Ways and Means

Because of mounting ethical woes, including accepting trips to the Caribbean, as well as allegations of misuse of rent-controlled apartments and tax evasion, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he will take a leave of absence from that powerful post until his problems are ironed out.

Which means he may never be back.

Tax policy is one of the items are the purview of Ways and Means.

Two of Rangel's Democratic predecessors ran in to trouble. In 1974 Wilbur Mills of Arkansas was pulled over for driving without headlights, a stripper known as the Argentine Firecracker was in the passenger seat. Wills later resigned his chairmanship and revealed that he was an alcoholic.

Allegations of graft involving the House post office led to Chicagoan Dan Rostenkowski's losing his reelection bid in 1994 to Republican Mike Flanagan; "Rosty" was later found guilty of mail fraud. In one of those weird Chicago coincidences, Flanagan failed in his reelection attempt.The winner of that race was Rod Blagojevich.

As for Rosty, he was the recipient of one of Bill Clinton's 2001 midnight pardons.

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