House Republicans last week voted to change their rules so that Majority Leader Tom DeLay won’t have to step down from his post if he’s indicted by a Texas grand jury on political corruption charges. Ever since the move was announced, Dems have been pitching a running hissy fit, flogging the GOP at every turn over the hypocrisy of the move and vilifying the unseemliness of such behavior on the part of the anointed Party of Jesus®.

Clearly there are a lot of folks out there who need to calm the heck down. Seriously – step away from the ledge, take a deep breath, let go of your bitterness, and think for a moment about the big picture here. The GOP move to protect DeLay is not bad news. Is it hypocritical and cynical, sure, but it is not bad news. No, it is good news. Very good news. Here’s why.

Scenario A: Rules aren’t changed, DeLay is indicted, steps down. What ensues is an embarrassing battle for the former Majority Leader, but this is America, where the media and the public have the attention span of a gnat. You’d have an initial burst of publicity, much shouting and recrimination, and then (since no fetuses unborn Americans were murdered and no boobs were exposed) the story would quickly fade into the white noise. Yeah, you’d get your periodic updates and the like, but by and large the proceedings would be conducted far from the harsh glare of mediated scrutiny. This would be a good thing for the GOP, since they wouldn’t have to deal with public embarrassment on a daily basis and they wouldn’t have to refocus valuable PR resources to spinning the scandal.

Scenario B: Rules are changes, DeLay is indicted, stays in office. Like above, only the exact opposite. This is a sitting politician, and thus the story has what folks in the PR biz call “legs” – that is, it has staying power, it can be counted on to dominate the press’ attention indefinitely, etc. Instead of being able to sweep the scandal under the rug, high-level GOP corruption is on TV every freakin’ night. The neocon power elite, which would rather be involved in something more productive like chiseling away at the Bill of Rights, now has to attend to saving Delay’s butt from the hounds (and, depending on how events unfold, saving the GOP’s butt from DeLay).

I’ve been watching the frenzy from our Blue brothers and sisters waiting for some perspective to set in, but it hasn’t. So here it is – simmer down, sit back and enjoy. It’s not everyday the Radical Right sends you a gift.