Republican Admits that Society Causes Crime

Or, at least, his crime. From Political Wire:

Allen Raymond, the Republican strategist convicted in the New Hampshire phone-jamming scheme, told the Boston Globe that while he's responsible for the crimes that landed him in jail, he also blames "a Republican political culture that emphasizes hardball tactics and polarizing voters."

"In his first interview about the case, Raymond said he doesn't know anything that would suggest the White House was involved in the plan to tie up Democrats' phone lines and thereby block their get-out-the-vote effort. But he said the scheme reflects a broader culture in the Republican Party that is focused on dividing voters to win primaries and general elections. He said examples range from some recent efforts to use border-security concerns to foster anger toward immigrants to his own role arranging phone calls designed to polarize primary voters over abortion in a 2002 New Jersey Senate race."

Said Raymond: "A lot of people look at politics and see it as the guy who wins is the guy who unifies the most people. I would disagree. I would say the candidate who wins is the candidate who polarizes the right bloc of voters."

Pity these attacks of conscience don't take place before elections, or before convictions in court. Oh, well. It's worth a chuckle anyway.