Who the Hell Is Ronnie Earle?

Today started with lawyers for a big-shot Washington fundraiser and a couple of large corporations who showed up in court for a quick legal version of whining and moaning, asking for a continuance until...well, never would be good.

Then he had three quick staff meetings to plot his strategy for climbing the ladder of evidence to Tom DeLay, the most powerful and vindictive man in Congress.

Now an assistant comes in with a computer printout and Ronnie Earle leans forward to study it. He grins. "Oh, man, that's great." He dials the number for The New York Times . "Kate, this is Ronnie Earle in Austin. I'd like to add a couple of paragraphs if it's not too late." He's tinkering with an op-ed about political corruption and the social fabric of democracy, one of his favorite subjects. "The rules you apply to yourself are the true test of your moral values," it reads. He likes that.

"The cynical destruction of moral values at the top makes it harder for law enforcement to do its job." He likes that, too. Then the phone rings and CBS is on the line. He shakes his head and ... // 97% Remaining