NANCY PELOSI: MORE FUN THAN A GOAT.

The truth of course is that American politicians of both parties are often much wealthier than the people they allegedly represent, and politicians, like most wealthy people, take full advantage of all the tax shelters and deductions their lawyers and accountants can find. The chances are that a great many of our elected representatives invest in companies whose activities would not please the voters back home, engage in various sordid insider trading deals, and send big chunks of their dearly beloved money to various no-tell money motels in places like Switzerland and the Cayman Islands. Most probably don’t commit any crimes; one of the nice things about lawyers is that with enough of them you can pretty much do what you want.

Just as the occasional sexual indiscretion is less of an issue for an abortion-supporting, thrice-divorced Democrat than for a Bible-thumping, God and Family Republican, a tax return full of complicated tax avoidance strategies is less of a problem for a Republican free marketeer than for a Democratic Tribune of the Little People. The “tar and feather Mitt Romney as a rich tax cheat” posse got into a lot of trouble as soon as the press started asking top Democrats the obvious question: if he shows us his, will you show us yours?

Still waiting.