Mark Green, meet Elmer Gantry

It's almost too easy: Mark Green talking about ethics.

The hard part is where to begin.

With the fact that most of the $1.3-million Green laundered into his governor's race from his Congressional campaign committee came from special interests?

That, as the Dems point out, Green has taken big contributions from Big Oil and the pharmaceutical industry, then voted for bills to put billions of dollars in their pockets?

That Green didn't lift a finger when the Republicans who control the Assembly decided to kill ethics reform at the end of the legislative session? What kind of leadership did Green exhibit when 55 of 60 Assembly Republicans voted against SB-1?

Or should we raise Green's own ethical problems -- $30,000 in tainted money from ethically challenged Tom DeLay, which Green said he would dispose of, but which is still in his campaign bank account?

Or his connection to the caucus scandal, which was highlighted in Scott Jensen's trial?

Green's votes to weaken the House ethics rules to accommodate Tom DeLay and let him stay in leadership even after he was indicted?

Listening to Mark Green talk about ethics is like hearing Elmer Gantry preach:

Sin. Sin, Sin. You're all sinners. You're all doomed to perdition. You're all goin' to the painful, stinkin', scaldin', everlastin' tortures of a fiery hell, created by God for sinners, unless, unless, unless you repent.

That done, Gantry was off to enjoy his boozing and womanizing.

Much like Mark Green holding his news conference on ethics, then going back to raising campaign contributions and voting in the House.

UPDATE: Grumps, a big fan of the Elmer Gantry film, makes the connection.