I can't quite put my finger on it...

Democrat senator Vince Fumo has stepped forward trying to keep the Philly Inquirer from firing the staff who are slated to go. Columnist John Baer just can't figure out why.

IT STRIKES me as odd. I mean Vince Fumo, the Prince of Philadelphia, a fixture of power and influence, reportedly under investigation for stuff involving a non-profit group, doggedly pursued by the Inky for what seems years, stepping forward to save 100 jobs at that same Inky and this Daily News. Since when, I wonder, does a politician, especially one in a newspaper's crosshairs, seek to help newspapers? Strange, no?

Gee, why would a Democrat want a typical urban American newspaper to stay just as it is? I can't figure it out either. Hold on, hold on, I think I have it.

It might have something to do with the fact that even though said Democrat is under investigation for "stuff" involving a non-profit group, the newspaper in question still opens the piece with "the Prince of Philadelphia, a fixture of power and influence", no? Or maybe he just likes a newspaper that refers to Democrats' illegal activity as "stuff" rather than defining the actual crimes he allegedly committed.

I can't help but notice they didn't define what Tom Delay did as "stuff": "

The grand jury said that during DeLay's push to create more Republican-dominated congressional districts in Texas, his political action committee funneled $190,000 from corporations to state House candidates through an arm of the Republican National Committee."

Wow, a grand jury said he actually committed the crime? That's interesting since most grand juries only find that enough evidence exists to warrant an actual indictment.

Constitution.org: A grand jury does not decide guilt. It investigates the facts in a case and recommends a course of action.