Okay, the headline is a sweeping generalization about the legislative branch of the US government, but these folks are intent on reinforcing this image of themselves.

Today’s story involves Rep. William Jefferson, D-La. who’s district includes New Orleans.  ABC News reported that the Congressman decided to tour his district on September 2 during the height of the post-Katrina chaos.  While on this excursion the Congressman and his National Guard escorts stopped at his house and the guard members waited around for an hour until the Congressman "Jefferson emerged with a laptop computer, three suitcases, and a box
about the size of a small refrigerator, which the enlisted men loaded
up into the truck."

Here are some excerpts from the story followed by my own comments:

On Sept. 2 — five days after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast — Rep. William
Jefferson, D-La., who represents New Orleans and is a senior member of
the powerful Ways and Means Committee, was allowed through the military
blockades set up around the city to reach the Superdome, where
thousands of evacuees had been taken.

How admirable that he was making an effort to be on the ground with the people he represents.  Or could there be another motivation?  Keep reading.

The Louisiana National Guard tells ABC News the truck became stuck as it waited for Jefferson to retrieve his belongings.

Two weeks later, the vehicle’s tire tracks were still visible on the lawn.

The soldiers signaled to helicopters in the air for aid.
Military sources say a Coast Guard helicopter pilot saw the signal and
flew to Jefferson’s home. The chopper was already carrying four rescued
New Orleans residents at the time.

A rescue diver descended from the helicopter, but the
congressman decided against going up in the helicopter, sources say.
The pilot sent the diver down again, but Jefferson again declined to go
up the helicopter.

After spending approximately 45 minutes with Jefferson, the
helicopter went on to rescue three additional New Orleans residents
before it ran low on fuel and was forced to end its mission.

"Forty-five minutes can be an eternity to somebody that is
drowning, to somebody that is sitting in a roof, and it needs to be
used its primary purpose during an emergency," said Hauer.

Coast Guard Commander Brendan McPherson told ABC News, "We
did have an aircraft that responded to a signal of distress where the
congressman was located. The congressman did decline rescue at the time
so the helicopter picked up three other people.

Rep. Jefferson claims that he didn’t ask for the escort from the National Guard but they insisted because of his safety.  At this point did it not occur to him that maybe the tour could wait until it was safer and he wouldn’t be diverting valuable resources from their core mission of search and rescue?  Again, maybe there was another motivation for him to visit his district.  Read on.

Jefferson insisted the expedition did not distract from rescue efforts.

"They actually picked up a lot of people while we were
there," he said. "The young soldier said, ‘It’s a good thing we came up
here because a lot of people would not have been rescued had we not
been in the neighborhood.’"

With all due respect to the Congressman, he’s full of it.  Still, I ask, was there another motivation for getting to his house?

In an unrelated matter, authorities recently searched Jefferson’s
property as part of a federal investigation into the finances of a
high-tech firm. Last month FBI officials raided Jefferson’s house as
well as his home in Washington, D.C., his car and his accountant’s
house…

Jefferson has not commented on that matter, except to say he is cooperating with the investigation…

Last week, Jefferson set up a special trust fund for contributions to
his legal defense in light of the FBI investigation. A senior federal
law enforcement source tells ABC News that investigators are interested
in learning if Jefferson moved any materials relevant to the
investigation. Jefferson says he did not.

Why is it that the Ways and Means Committee seems to attract these guys
(Dan Rostenkowski, anyone?) in disproportionate numbers?  Oh, right.  Money.

After reading the last segment of the report I actually find it easier to believe that the Congressman didn’t want a National Guard escort after all.  I mean who needs witnesses?  Of course you have to wonder how he might have gotten around without them, but I suspect he would have found himself right at home in the sewage that was flowing around his house.