More than meets the eye?

Jazz and I have talked about the outrage of both the Republicans and Democrats over the FBI search of Rep. William Jefferson's office here, here and here. Hypocritical on the part of the Republicans? Of course it is; why should they suddenly care about the constitution after letting Bush run roughshod over it since 911. Because he finally stepped on their toes? Perhaps. But then upon returning today I saw this WSJ piece over at memoerandum, Lawmaker Raid May Come Back to Bite Bush.

Anger in Congress Could Cost The President Some Allies And Curb His Legislative Influence

It starts out as a rehash of the congressional reaction to the FBI raid and Speaker Dennis Hastert's charge that the report that Speaker Dennis Hastert himself was a subject of the federal corruption probe was leaked to punish him.

In the middle of the WSJ article is the box you see on the left. It's a rather anemic list of incidents where the congress has "stood up" to Bush. Not much there. And then this puzzling conclusion:

"For an administration that needs allies in order to come back," the Justice Department's actions are "dumbfounding," says David Gergen, a veteran of Republican and Democratic administrations.

Mr. Bush has, in some ways, aggravated congressional Republicans since the beginning of his presidency, when he sought strict loyalty from legislative partisans, arguing that his success and theirs were inseparable. Now, many fear that they -- and not Mr. Bush -- will pay an electoral price for backing what is now an unpopular war in Iraq, and the president's plunging approval ratings.

Yesterday afternoon, House Republicans gathered in a windowless basement room for a private meeting aimed at sorting through the roller coaster of the past few days. They left the meeting carrying talking points from Republican leaders: "No one is above the law," the paper said. "Just as no branch of government is above the Constitution."

So the question is, is this just a charade by the house Republicans to distance themselves from Bush with an issue that really has little significance and is the WSJ giving them a helping hand?