Legislature is idiotic? Can't be

And now the chair recognizes state Rep. Todd Rutherford of Columbia.

"This Judiciary Committee, this kangaroo court, met four times -- you all can't do any better? You idiots can't do any better?

"Us kangaroos ... can't walk and chew gum at the same time. We will talk about fishing bills and hooks and striped bass for longer.

"We are apparently the idiots that everyone thinks that we are."

Just a guess here, but Rutherford may have been a little disappointed that the House Judiciary Committee voted against impeaching Gov. Mark Sanford.

He made those remarks Wednesday, when the panel chose to send a Sanford censure to the full House of Representatives.

To put that in context, the Charleston County Republican Party recently "censured" Sen. Lindsey Graham for not waving at them the last time he was on C-SPAN.

Rutherford, a Democrat, thought the censure was too lenient, a slap on the wrist -- voicing the opinion of a good number of South Carolinians.

However, Judiciary Chairman Jim Harrison said Rutherford's outburst "borders on serious misconduct."

Some good points

So let's get this straight.

Congressman Joe Wilson is a hero for screaming "You lie!" at the president during a nationally televised joint session of Congress, but Rutherford has committed a serious breach of etiquette for calling some lawmakers a bunch of idiots?

Good thing we've got all that room in the prisons, because half the state is guilty of making similar remarks.

Reasonable people can disagree on what the Legislature should have done about Sanford. Most of the committee members ultimately concluded that many of the charges against the governor were kind of piddly.

But that doesn't mean Rutherford didn't make some good points.

He's right that the state Legislature drags its feet more than any group this side of Congress. Most days, a legislative session is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

They spend months debating fishing licenses and drinking straws and monuments --then cram their most serious budget debate into the last few days. Same for this Sanford stuff.

The lesson here -- reiterated by the recent special session for unemployment money and Boeing -- is that the Legislature can hustle when it really wants to get something done.

No jury would convict

Apparently Rutherford and Harrison patched things up after the meeting, which they should have. If the vice president can cuss out a senator on the floor, Rutherford can call some of his colleagues idiots. If you don't believe it, try to find a jury in this state that would convict him.

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But one thing Rutherford said actually had the opposite effect. Consider this:

"We are all members of this body, this body that Governor Sanford has spent seven years ridiculing. We are truly the idiots he makes us out to be because apparently we can't handle impeachment."

Actually, it seems more like lawmakers this week proved that occasionally they can rise above petty politics, and their personal animosity toward the governor, to do what is best for the state.

Nothing idiotic about that.