Real shocker, right? The GOP has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar yet again and they are back-pedaling faster than ever. Tom Noe, an Ohio GOP fund-raiser has showered contributions on Republicans in Ohio and beyond, including George Bush and Ohio Gov. Bob Taft. Problem is, Noe was in charge of the $55 million rare coin investment fund set up by the Ohio Workers’ Compensation Bureau. Now it turns out that at least $10 million is missing. Where did it go?…it’s not over there, it’s not under here….

Ohio Republicans are portraying Noe as just one “bad apple.” Democrats say that the scandal is a symptom of GOP corruption and self-dealing and that Noe received the state contract because of his political ties, which include raising more than $100,000 for Bush’s re-election.

Recall this is also the state that suffered Walden O’Dell of Diebold promising Republican victory and State Attorney Kenneth Blackwell disallowing over 300K of last-minuite voter registrations during the last election.

“It’s an example of the arrogance of power that comes with one-party rule,” said Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, one of two Democrats running in 2006 to succeed Taft, who cannot seek a third term. “It reinforces the need for change in Ohio.”

The FBI is conducting an investigation into whether Noe violated federal campaign financing laws by giving money to people who then turned around and donated it to the Bush reelection campaign, which, by definition, is money laundering. And just why is the state worker’s compensation fund investing in rare coins? A state-backed retirement fund should have more stability than rare coins.

This is just another example of the twisted Republican moral values. If you want to call Noe “just one bad apple”, then what do you call DeLay? Or Blackwell? Or Katherine Harris? How far do you have to look to find one good apple? They should add a commandment, “Thou shalt not get caught”. Somebody call Alabama.